Allan Victor [I] Maxwell

Brief description

PER-47

Full description

Allan Victor Maxwell was born on 12 May 1887, at Balmain, Sydney, the son of Francis Augustus Maxwell and his wife, Amelia Charlotte nee Ledger. He was educated at Birchgrove, the Fort Street Model School, and the University of Sydney (BA 1909, LLB 1913). In 1911-1912 he was active in the Sydney University Union. (1)

Maxwell was admitted to the New South Wales Bar on 8 May 1913. He appeared chiefly as a trial lawyer in the Common Law jurisdiction. In 1928 Maxwell was appointed an Acting District Court Judge and Chairman of Quarter Sessions from 27 February to 11 March for the Northern District and from 23 July to 31 August for the Metropolitan District. His appointment as a King's Counsel was approved by the Executive Council on 19 March 1929. In 1933 and 1934 Maxwell was a member of the Council of the Bar of New South Wales. Also in 1933 he was the NSW delegate to the first Australian Law Convention. (2)

Maxwell was appointed an acting Judge of the Supreme Court of NSW in all jurisdictions from 10 June 1929 to 31 March 1930 and from 9 February to 8 August 1934. On 9 August 1934, he was made a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court. In 1936 he was a Deputy Judge of the Land and Valuation Court from 28 July till 31 December. By 1950 he was Senior Puisne Judge. He officially retired from the Supreme Court on 31 August 1956, although he appears to have gone on retiring leave from August 1955. (3) On 10 June 1967 Maxwell was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for his role as a Judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court. (4)

Maxwell presided at four Royal Commissions. In 1939 he sat at the Royal Commission regarding the contract for the erection of additions to the General Post Office, Sydney. This Commission was established by the Commonwealth Government under Letters Patent on 7 June 1939 and reported on 25 July 1939. In 1941 he sat at two related Royal Commissions, one State and the other Federal. The first was the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into and report upon the question whether The Honourable Vernon Haddon Treatt, Minister of Justice for the state of New South Wales, was guilty of any improper conduct in recommending the reduction of a fine imposed upon the Abbco Bread Company Proprietary Limited [1,438 pounds 15 shillings, imposed on the 20th June, 1940, by the Court of Petty Sessions at Glebe and reduced to 500 pounds]. This Commission was appointed by the State Government on 11 March 1941 and reported on 25 March. The second was the Royal Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia to inquire into and report upon the contract or contracts with Abbco Bread Co Pty Limited for the supply of bread to the Department of Army and other matters. It was established on 28 March 1941 under Letters Patent by the Australian Government. On 16 April 1941 the terms of reference were extended to inquire into the Company itself, and its directors W G McLeod and D A McLeod and their relationship with Ernest and Norman Davis who held an option on the business. The sittings took place from 1 April to 5 June 1941 and the report was presented 3 July 1941. From 1951 to 1954 he presided at the Royal Commission on Liquor Laws in New South Wales. This Commission was established by the State Government by Letters Patent on 23 July 1951 and reported on 25 March 1954. It examined the liquor trade, the role of tied hotels and breweries, the existing system of removing hotel licenses, whether local option should be re-introduced, the non-liquor responsibilities of hotels, the number of clubs licenses, and whether the existing system of liquor distribution met the public needs. (5)

From 1955 to 1958 Maxwell was Chairman of Amalgamated Televisions Services Pty Ltd, a Fairfax subsidiary that opened television station Channel ATN 7 in Sydney on 2 December 1956. (6)

Maxwell was active in the community. He was president of the NSW Rowing Association from 1943 to 1970. In 1954 he was foundation president of International Social Service (Australian Branch). But his deepest interest was in assisting the blind. He joined the committee of the Royal Blind Society of New South Wales in 1940 when it was known as the Sydney Industrial Blind Institution, was its vice-president in 1944, and president from 1945 to 1961. He later became vice-patron. The name changed in 1952. By 1974 he was life-governor and past president of the Australia National Council for the Blind. (7)

Maxwell died on 5 October 1975 at St Luke's Hospital, Darlinghurst, survived by his wife Sadie Margaret nee Lawler, and his son Alan Victor [II] and three daughters. His son was made a Judge of the Supreme Court on 8 April 1974. (8)

Endnotes
1. John Kennedy McLaughlin, 'Maxwell, Allan Victor (1887-1975)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition, http://www.adb.online.edu.au/biogs/A150395b.htm (cited 11 January 2008); Who's Who in Australia, Melbourne, Herald and Weekly Times, 1938, p.355; 1941, p.474; 1944, p.583; 1947, p.589; 1950, pp.492-3; 1955, p.533; 1959, p.549; 1962, p.584; 1965, p.587; 1968, p.601; 1971, pp.664-5; 1974, p.720; University of Sydney Calendar 1911, pp.411, 438, 533, http://calendararchive.usyd.edu.au/calendar/1911/1911.pdf (cited 18 March 2008); University of Sydney Calendar 1912, p.555, http://calendararchive.usyd.edu.au/calendar/1912/1912.pdf (cited 18 March 2008); University of Sydney Calendar 1922, p.607, http://calendararchive.usyd.edu.au/calendar/1922/1922.pdf (cited 21 April 2008).
2. Barristers Admission Board; NRS 13665, Roll of Barristers, 1876-1926; Reel 2147, p.19; New South Wales Government Gazette, No.26, 24 February 1928, p.913; No.95, 20 July 1928, p.3471; No.40, 22 March 1929, p.1359; Attorney General's Department [III]; NRS 333, Letters received - Special Bundles, 1874-1984; [10/42917] Correspondence re appointment of King's Counsels, 1898-1941; New South Wales Law Almanac for 1933, Sydney, NSW Government Printer, 1933, p.56; New South Wales Law Almanac for 1934, Sydney, NSW Government Printer, 1934, p.57; J S Legge (ed.), Who's Who in Australia, 1968, Melbourne, The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1968, p.601.
3. NSW Government Gazette, No.77, 14 June 1929, p.2457; No.112, 23 August 1929, p.3506; No.154, 13 December 1929, p.4920; No.25, 9 February 1934, p.713; No.147, 10 August, 1934, p.2883; No. 122, 31 July 1936, p.3262; No.173, 30 October 1936, p.4499; J S Legge (ed.), Who's Who in Australia, 1968, op.cit.; Australian Law Journal, Vol.29 (1955), p.292; New South Wales Law Almanac for 1961, Sydney, NSW Government Printer, 1961, p.49; ADB, op.cit.
4. 'Maxwell, Allan Victor', It's an honour website http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au (cited 30 April 2008).
5. Agency CA 2458: 'Royal Commission regarding the contract for the erection of additions to the General Post Office, Sydney', 'National Archives of Australia - Agency notes for agency CA 2458',http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/AgencyDetail.asp?M=3&B=CA+2458 (cited 23 April 2008); 'Report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into and report upon the question whether The Honourable Vernon Haddon Treatt, Minister of Justice for the state of New South Wales, was guilty of any improper conduct in recommending the reduction of a fine imposed upon the Abbco Bread Company Proprietary Limited', Joint Volume of Papers presented to the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly and ordered to be printed (Parliamentary Papers), 1940/41, Vol.3, p.555-569; Agency CA 2642: 'Royal Commission to inquire into and report upon the contract or contracts with Abbco Bread Co Pty Limited for the supply of bread to the Department of Army and other matters', 'National Archives of Australia - Agency notes for agency CA 2642', http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/AgencyDetail.asp?M=3&B=CA+2642 (cited 23 April 2008); Final Report of the Royal Commission on Liquor Laws, Joint Volume of Papers presented to the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly and ordered to be printed (Parliamentary Papers), 1954, Vol.1, pp.51-155.
6. Joseph Alexander (ed.), Who's Who in Australia, 1959, Melbourne, The Herald, 1959, p.549.
7. J S Legge (ed.), Who's Who in Australia, 1974, Melbourne, The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1974, p.720; Lorna Ollif, Archway to Vision: a history of the Royal Blind Society of New South Wales 1880 to 1980, Hornsby, Ollif Publishing Company, 1992, pp.92, 179, Vision Australia website http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/docs/about_us/Archway%20to%20Vision_web.doc (cited 23 April 2008).
8. ADB, op.cit.

Notes

Acting District Court Judge, Northern District, 27/02/1928 - 11/03/1928
Acting Chairman of Quarter Sessions, Northern District, 27/02/1928 - 11/03/1928
Acting District Court Judge, Metropolitan District, 23/07/1928 - 31/08/1928
Acting Chairman of Quarter Sessions, Metropolitan District, 23/07/1928 - 31/08/1928
Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, 10/06/1929 - 31/03/1930, 09/02/1934 - 08/08/1934
Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, 09/08/1934 - 31/08/1956
Acting Deputy Judge, Land and Valuation Court, 28/07/1936 - 31/12/1936
Commissioner, Commonwealth Royal Commission regarding the contract for the erection of additions to the General Post Office, Sydney, 07/06/1939 - 25/07/1939
Commissioner, Royal Commission appointed to inquire into and report upon the question whether The Honourable Vernon Haddon Treatt, Minister of Justice for the state of New South Wales, was guilty of any improper conduct in recommending the reduction of a fine imposed upon the Abbco Bread Company Proprietary Limited, 11/03/1941 - 25/03/1941
Commissioner, Commonwealth Royal Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia to inquire into and report upon the contract or contracts with Abbco Bread Co Pty Limited for the supply of bread to the Department of Army and other matters, 28/03/1941 - 03/07/1941
Commissioner, Royal Commission on Liquor Laws in New South Wales, 23/07/1951 - 25/03/1954