20 Facts About Neal Macrossan

Neal William Macrossan was a lawyer, judge and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Neal Macrossan was the eighth and youngest child of Australian politician John Murtagh Macrossan and Bridget Macrossan.

Neal Macrossan was educated at the Normal School in Brisbane.

Neal Macrossan won a silver medal for Greek and was selected as the Rhodes scholar for Queensland in 1907.

Neal Macrossan obtained a Bachelor of Arts with honours in 1910 and obtained a Master of Arts in 1914 from Oxford.

Neal Macrossan passed the Barristers' Board admission examination and he was called to the Bar on 27 August 1912.

Neal Macrossan unsuccessfully stood for election to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in 1915 for the seat of Cairns, where he stood as a candidate for the Liberal Party.

Neal Macrossan represented ex-premier William McCormack in the Mungana Mines case.

Neal Macrossan was unsuccessful in arguing against the marketing law and the law was held to be unconstitutional.

Neal Macrossan lectured at the University of Queensland on Pleading and Practice until his appointment to the bench.

Neal Macrossan established an endowment to the University for the Macrossan lectures.

Neal Macrossan was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on 29 June 1940.

Neal Macrossan was appointed senior puisne judge five days later in front of more senior judges.

Neal Macrossan acted as chief justice on two occasions, before being appointed to the office on 25 April 1946.

Neal Macrossan became the second son to be appointed to that office following in the steps of his brother Hugh Denis Macrossan.

In 1955 Neal Macrossan heard an appeal from a decision of the Objectionable Literature Board.

Neal Macrossan described the publications as emphasising "the thesis that an acceptable means of achieving this ideal [of marriage] is a casual acquaintance made by a young girl with a man hitherto a complete stranger to her the ardour of whose embraces and kisses provides the assurance of the constancy of his affection".

Neal Macrossan was a warden of the council of the University of Queensland, president of the Playground Association of Queensland, president of the Twelfth Night Theatre Company, and President of the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland.

Neal Macrossan died on 30 December 1955 in South Brisbane and following a state funeral was buried in Nudgee Cemetery.

Neal Macrossan's older brother Hugh Denis Macrossan was a chief justice of Queensland as well as his nephew John Murtagh Macrossan.