Neal Macrossan

Neal William Macrossan (1889–1955) was a lawyer, judge and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. In 1904 whilst studying at St Joseph's, he was awarded the T J Byrnes medal for obtaining the highest pass mark in Queensland. In 1906 he again topped the State at the senior level. He also won a silver medal for Greek and was selected as the Rhodes scholar for Queensland in 1907.

Macrossan studied at Magdalen College, Oxford. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts with honours in 1910 although the Queensland Supreme Court Library notes it as a Masters of Arts.

Macrossan represented ex-premier William McCormack in the Mungana Mines case. McCormack was tried with ex-treasurer Ted Theodore and two others. The case was instituted following a Royal Commission on 4 July 1930 in the purchase of the mines. The royal commission had made a finding that all the accused had acted dishonestly in the purchase of the mine. The conspiracy case commenced in the Supreme Court on 22 July 1931 and resulted in a jury verdict in favour of McCormack and Theodore on 25 August.

Macrossan also appeared in the Constitutional case of Peanut Board v. Rockhampton Harbour Board heard in the High Court of Australia. The case concerned whether the Queensland Government could control peanut sales in Queensland through the Peanut Board. Macrossan appeared as junior for the Board. He was unsuccessful in arguing against the marketing law and the law was held to be unconstitutional.

Macrossan lectured at the University of Queensland on Pleading and Practice until his appointment to the bench. In 1954 his wife Eileen died. She is buried in Nudgee Cemetery.

In 1955 Macrossan heard an appeal from a decision of the Objectionable Literature Board. The board had classified books bearing titles such as Real Love, Romance Story and Darling Romance as "objectionable" material. 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". The court found that the materials was "what they considered to be a tendency to corrupt members of an age group of females described as unstable adolescents." However, on appeal to the High Court, a majority ruling overturned the decision.

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

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

His older brother Hugh Denis Macrossan was also a chief justice of Queensland as well as his nephew John Murtagh Macrossan (son of Macrossan's brother Vincent).