The Honourable John Macrossan was born in 1930 and received his education at St Columban's College (when it was a boy's school located in the Brisbane suburb of Albion). He decided to follow his father and two of his uncles into the legal profession and studied law at both the University of Queensland and Exeter College at Oxford University in England, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law degree. After distinguishing himself as a barrister, he was appointed Queensland's 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1989. His two uncles before him had also risen through the legal ranks to both serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland at different points in time.

Judge Macrossan was considered to be a well-read, well-educated, insightful man and his sharp mind proved invaluable in guiding and developing Griffith University through the 1990's up until his retirement from the position of Chancellor in 2000. His relaxed and thoughtful approach to decision making and dealing with people in general, were hallmarks of his governance style while he served as both initially Deputy-Chancellor and finally Chancellor of the University. In 2001, the University awarded Judge Macrossan the honorary title of Doctor of the University for his years of outstanding leadership and commitment to the organisation.