Cincinnatus Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus ( 519 BC – 430 BC ) was a Roman aristocrat and statesman whose service as consul in 460 BC and dictator in 458 BC and 439 BC made him a model of civic virtue . Cincinnatus was regarded by the Romans , especially the aristocratic patrician class , as one of the heroes of early Rome and as a model of Roman virtue and simplicity . He was a persistent opponent of the plebeians . When his son , Caeso Quinctius , was convicted and condemned to death , Cincinnatus was forced to live in humble circumstances , working on his own small farm , until an invasion caused him to be called to serve Rome as dictator , an office which he immediately resigned after completing his task of defeating the rivaling tribes of the Aequi ans , Sabines , and Volscians . His immediate resignation of his absolute authority with the end of the crisis has often been cited as an example of outstanding leadership , service to the greater good , civic virtue , lack of personal ambition and modesty . As a result , he has inspired a number of organizations and other entities , many of which are named in his honor . Biography . Early career . Politically , Cincinnatus was a persistent opponent of attempts to improve the legal situation of the plebeians . His son Caeso Quinctius often drove the tribunes of the plebeians out from the forum , the heart of Roman political life , preventing them from reaching a formal decision . In 461 BC , these actions finally resulted in a capital charge against Caeso . After Caeso was released on bail and escaped to the Etruscans , he was condemned to death in absentia and his father had to pay an immense fine , forcing him to sell most of his lands and retire to a small farm , where he and his family were able to subsist on the work of his hands . The following year , Cincinnatus was elected suffect consul . During his consulship , his main adversary was the Plebeian Tribune Gaius Terentilius Harsa . During this time period , the Roman senate was preoccupied with a war against the Volsci , a neighbouring Italic people . Though Cincinnatus was initially able to prevent their enactment , Terentilius attempted to use the upheaval associated with the war effort to push through a series of reforms which were specifically to benefit the " proletarii " and peasantry , including a proposal to draw up a code of written laws applicable equally to patricians and plebeians — an early push for what would eventually become the Ten or Twelve Tables . Dictator . In 458 BC , the Romans were fighting the Aequi and the Sabines . The consul Minucius Esquilinus had led an army against them , but had been trapped by the Aequians in the Alban Hills and was attempting to fight off a siege . A few Roman horsemen escaped and returned to Rome to tell the senate what had happened . The senate fell into a panic and authorized the other consul for the year , Horatius Pulvillus , to nominate a dictator . Horatius nominated Cincinnatus for a dictatorial term ( also known as Magister Populi or " Master of the People " ) for six months . A group of senators were sent to tell Cincinnatus that he had been nominated dictator . According to Livy , the senators found Cincinnatus while he was plowing on his farm . Cincinnatus cried out " " Is everything all right ? " " They said to Cincinnatus that they hoped " " it might turn out well for both him and his country , " " and then they asked him to put on his senatorial toga and hear the mandate of the senate . He called to his wife , Racilia , telling her to bring out his toga from their cottage . When he put on his toga , the senatorial delegation hailed him as dictator , and told him to come to the city . He then crossed the Tiber river in a boat provided by the senate , as his farm was on the far side of the river . When he reached the other side of the Tiber , he was greeted by his three sons and most of the senators . Several lictors were given to him for protection . The next morning , Cincinnatus went to the Roman forum and nominated as his Master of the Horse ( his second in command ) Lucius Tarquitius , who was considered one of the finest soldiers in Rome . Cincinnatus then went to the Roman popular assembly and issued an order to the effect that every man of military age should report to the Campus Martius — the Field of Mars , god of war — by the end of the day . Once the army assembled , Cincinnatus took them to fight the Aequi at the Battle of Mons Algidus . Cincinnatus led the infantry in person , while Tarquitius led the cavalry . The Aequi were surprised by the double attack and were soon cut to pieces . The commanders of the Aequi begged Cincinnatus not to slaughter them all . Cincinnatus did not want to cause any unnecessary bloodshed , and told the Aequi that he would let them live if they submitted to him and brought their leader , Gracchus Cloelius , and his officers to him in chains . A yoke was set up , made up of three spears , and the Aequi had to pass under it , bowing down while confessing that they had been conquered . After this , the war ended and Cincinnatus disbanded his army . He then resigned his dictatorship and returned to his farm , a mere sixteen days after he had been nominated dictator . Later events . He came out of retirement again for a second term as dictator ( 439 BC ) to put down a conspiracy of Spurius Maelius , who supposedly was planning to become king . He was nominated by his old friend and relative , Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus , consul of the year . Maelius was killed immediately when the Master of the Horse was sent to bring him to trial and the incipient coup perished with him . Once more he resigned his commission . Within his lifetime Cincinnatus became a legend to the Romans . Twice granted supreme power , he held onto it for not a day longer than absolutely necessary . The high esteem in which he was held by his compatriots is illustrated with an anecdote from the end of his life : one of his sons was tried for military incompetence . The great Capitolinus defended him by asking the jury who would go to tell the aged Cincinnatus the news in the event of a conviction . The son was acquitted because the jury could not bring itself to break the old man ' s heart . Legacy . Named in his honor is the town of Cincinnato , in Lazio , Italy . In the United States he was honored with the name of the town of Cincinnatus , New York and the Society of the Cincinnati which , in turn , lent its name to the city of Cincinnati , Ohio . George Washington was often compared to Cincinnatus for his willingness to give up near - absolute power once the crisis of the American Revolution had passed and victory had been won , and the Society of the Cincinnati is a historical association founded in the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War to preserve the ideals of the military officer ' s role in the new American Republic .