# Max Julius

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{{Short description|Australian barrister (1916–1963)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name            = Max Julius
| birth_name      = Max Nordau Julius
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1916|3|9|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [South Brisbane](/source/South_Brisbane), Australia
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1963|2|27|1916|3|9|df=y}}
| alma_mater      = [University of Queensland](/source/University_of_Queensland)
| occupation      = Barrister
| known_for       = Co-founder of the [Eureka Youth League](/source/Eureka_Youth_League)
| political_party = [Communist Party of Australia](/source/Communist_Party_of_Australia)
}}
'''Max Nordau Julius''' (9 March 1916 – 27 February 1963) was an Australian barrister and communist.

Born in [South Brisbane](/source/South_Brisbane) to [Hungarian](/source/Hungary) tailor Julius Isack (known as Isack Julius) and his [Romania](/source/Romania)n-born wife Ernestina, ''née'' Lang, he was raised a non-orthodox Jew  and attended Leichhardt Street State School, winning a scholarship to [Brisbane Grammar School](/source/Brisbane_Grammar_School) in 1929. He attended the [University of Queensland](/source/University_of_Queensland) from 1934, gaining a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in 1938 and a [Bachelor of Law](/source/Bachelor_of_Law) in 1940. He was secretary of the Radical Club from 1937 to 1938 and edited the Student Union's paper, ''[Semper Floreat](/source/Semper_Floreat)'', in 1938. He joined the [Communist Party of Australia](/source/Communist_Party_of_Australia) in 1936.<ref name=adb>{{Cite web
  | last = McGuire
  | first = John
  | title = Julius, Max Nordau (1916–1963)
  | work = [Australian Dictionary of Biography](/source/Australian_Dictionary_of_Biography)
  | publisher = [Australian National University](/source/Australian_National_University)
  | date = 1996
  | url = https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/julius-max-nordau-10652
  | access-date = 21 July 2011}}</ref>

Julius was involved in socialist theatrical productions in the 1930s and he co-founded the [Eureka Youth League](/source/Eureka_Youth_League) in 1940 with Connie Healy. In 1941 his application to join the Queensland Bar was blocked due to his communism; he took the matter to court with [Fred Paterson](/source/Fred_Paterson) as his counsel. The judge found in his favour and he was admitted to the bar on 29 June. He was nevertheless shunned by much of the legal community but stayed solvent by charging a token fee. He married Kate Doreen Gillham on 22 October 1943 at Brisbane (they divorced in 1962).<ref name=adb/>

In 1948 Julius was sentenced to three months' gaol for not paying fines resulting from his involvement in the [St Patrick's Day](/source/St_Patrick's_Day) march, but he was released after two weeks when widespread sympathy led an anonymous donor (rumoured to be the [Hanlon](/source/Ned_Hanlon_(politician)) [Labor](/source/Australian_Labor_Party) government) to pay his fine. He was a frequent candidate for elections, and it was his preferences that decided the seat of [Moreton](/source/Division_of_Moreton) in the [1961 federal election](/source/1961_Australian_federal_election) in favour of the [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia) [James Killen](/source/James_Killen), allowing [Robert Menzies](/source/Robert_Menzies) to retain government.<ref name=adb/>

Julius was involved in the legal case regarding Menzies' attempted dissolution of the Communist Party in 1950&ndash;51, and in 1954&ndash;55 he cross-examined the [Petrovs](/source/Petrov_affair) at the royal commission on espionage. He was also a supporter of the peace movement and Aboriginal rights. On 16 February 1960, under financial difficulties, he had himself removed from the roll of barristers and became a solicitor. Julius died at [Princess Alexandra Hospital](/source/Princess_Alexandra_Hospital_(Brisbane)) in South Brisbane on 27 February 1963 of [myocardial infarction](/source/myocardial_infarction) and was cremated.<ref name=adb/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Julius, Max}}
Category:1916 births
Category:1963 deaths
Category:Australian Jews
Category:Australian barristers
Category:Australian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
Category:Australian people of Romanian-Jewish descent
Category:University of Queensland alumni
Category:Lawyers from Brisbane
Category:Communist Party of Australia members
Category:People educated at Brisbane Grammar School

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Max Julius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Julius) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Julius?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.