Max Menzel

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = Max Menzel

|honorific-suffix =

|image =

|caption =

| constituency_AM1 = Mulgrave

| assembly1 = Queensland Legislative

| term_start1 = 29 November 1980

| term_end1 = 2 December 1989

| predecessor1 = Roy Armstrong

| successor1 = Warren Pitt

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|3|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tully, Queensland, Australia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| restingplace =

| birthname = Max Richard Menzel

| nationality = Australian

| party = National Party

| otherparty =

| spouse = Margaret Dall'Alba (m.1981)

| children = 4

}}

Max Richard Menzel (born 30 March 1941) is a former Australian politician.

He was born in Tully in Queensland to Richard Franz Menzel and Dulcie Margaret ({{nee}} Kelly) on 30 March 1941. Max's father and uncle had migrated from Germany to Australia. On 28 August 1981 he married Margaret Frances Dall'Alba, with whom he had 4 children, 3 sons and a daughter; Carl Richard Menzel, Max Francis Menzel, Peter Gerard Menzel, and Katelyn Margaret Menzel.

In 1980 he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the National Party member for Mulgrave. He was Chairman of Committees from 1983 to 1986. Menzel was defeated in 1989.[http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=3821439638 Menzel, Mr Max Richard] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211074156/http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=3821439638 |date=11 February 2015 }}; Government of Queensland. Retrieved 11 February 2015.

Following his defeat, Menzel left the National Party after the state executive of the National Party led by President at the time, Robert Sparkes overrode his endorsement despite his electorate council supporting him overwhelmingly with only 3 opposing him out of 40 delegates, in an event Max considered as retribution for supporting former Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen with whom Mr. Sparkes had fallen out with. He ran for Mulgrave as an independent in 1992 and was unsuccessful he went on farming on the family farm at Miriwini and in 1995 decided to sell and move to the Burdekin and expand his operation, his wife Margaret ran for the federal seat of Dawson in 2004 as part of a loose group of independents endorsed by Bob Katter.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2004/08/26/sugaring-the-poll/|title=Sugaring the poll|last=Bowe|first=William|work=The Poll |publisher=Crikey|date=26 August 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232559/http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2004/08/26/sugaring-the-poll/|archive-date=2 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}

In August 2012, he was elected president of Katter's Australian Party following the dismissal of Rowell Walton.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-22/katters-australia-party-faces-damaging-split/4215902|title=Katter's Australia Party faces damaging split|last=McCutcheon|first=Peter|date=22 August 2012|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113140307/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-22/katters-australia-party-faces-damaging-split/4215902|archive-date=13 November 2013|df=dmy-all}} Menzel resigned from both the position and the party in April 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-15/troubled-katters-australian-party-loses-another-president/4630048|title=Troubled Katter's Australian Party loses another president|last=Howells|first=Melinda|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=15 April 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519133510/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-15/troubled-katters-australian-party-loses-another-president/4630048|archive-date=19 May 2013|df=dmy-all}}