John Alfred Isaacs (c. 1861 – 22 August 1944), generally referred to as J. A. Isaacs, was a lawyer and parliamentarian in the Australian colony and state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. He was a son of Alfred Isaacs (died 1 August 1904) and Rebecca Isaacs, and a brother of Sir

Isaac Isaacs Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of A ...

(1855–1948). He married late in life to a much younger woman.

History

He was born at

Yackandandah Yackandandah is a small tourist town in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is near the regional cities of Wodonga and Albury, and is close to the tourist town of Beechworth. At the , Yackandandah had a population of 2,008. History The indigeno ...

and was educated at

Beechworth, Victoria Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,859. Beechworth's many histor ...

. He practised as a solicitor for many years, before resigning on account of failing health. He was a member for

Ovens upA double oven A ceramic oven An oven is a tool which is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been us ...

in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

1894–1902. He had a home at 550 Burwood road,

Auburn, Victoria Auburn is an unbounded neighbourhood of the suburb of Hawthorn, Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. Its postcode is 3123. It is in the local government areas of the City of Boroondara. The area is renowned for its outstanding commer ...

Isaacs married Edna Frances Davis on 13 April 1938 at "Moawa", the Isaacs' family home at 1 Goodall Street,

Hawthorn, Victoria Hawthorn is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Hawthorn recorded a population of 22,322 at the 2021 census. Glenferrie ...

. She was a singer, around fifty years younger than her husband. She had a home at Vale Street, St Kilda He died in August 1944; newspapers obituaries were few and cursory at best. He had in 1939 left a will naming his brother

as his sole beneficiary and sole executor. Mrs Edna Isaacs contested the will, claiming that Isaac Isaacs had undue influence on his brother, and had influenced him in ensuring that she received no benefit from his death. John A. Isaac, who had once been quite wealthy, at his death had assets valued at £33/12/6 and liabilities of £33/14/4, which was explained by counsel for his brother− as "gambling losses".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaacs, John 1861 births 1944 deaths Victoria (Australia) state politicians Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly