Charles Rischbieth Jury (13 September 1893 – 22 August 1958), generally known by his initials or full name,[1] was a poet and academic in Adelaide, South Australia, who spent much of his working life in Europe.
[2] His first wife Margaret "Maggie" (née Wiedenhofer) took her own life;[3] Elizabeth Susan Jury was the daughter of G & R Wills partner Charles Rischbieth (1835 – 5 April 1893) and his wife Elizabeth Susan née Wills (7 November 1842 – 15 January 1908) He was educated at F. I. Caterer's Glenelg Grammar School and at St. Peter's College.
He found the climate in Greece and Italy, especially Taormina and Catania in Sicily, more conducive to writing than either England or Australia, but did return to Adelaide on occasion.
His mother in 1921 founded the Jury Chair of English Language and Literature in memory of her late husband;[5] Professor Archibald Strong was its first incumbent in 1922, succeeded by J. I. M. Stewart around 1933; Charles, who had been informally offered the Chair several times but declined, finally accepted it in 1946, but only on condition that Herbert Piper should be offered it once he had completed his studies at Magdalen College, Oxford.
Charles, despite his classical inclinations in literature, was generous in his support for modern writers: Max Harris, Douglas Muecke, Barbara Wall, Margaret Finniss, John Bray, Alison Gent, Michael Taylor and Brian Medlin.