Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus: The Roman Ideal of Civic Virtue

The significance of George Washington's inspirational career can't be overstated. As the first U.S. President, Washington lead the nation’s formation, setting an example for governance, and commanding the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, thereby securing independence from Britain. He was self-aware regarding his preeminent leadership position in that he knew he was setting precedents in nearly every decision he made. One of his most consequential was establishing a tradition when he chose to relinquish power rather than maintain it after his second term as president. 

Where this idea stem from? From the prominent Roman statesman, consul and twice-appointed dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (c. 519–c. 430 BCE). Cincinnatus is celebrated in Roman tradition as a model of selfless leadership, humility, and devotion to the republic over personal power.

Cincinnatus lived during a turbulent period shortly after the overthrow of Rome's monarchy in 509 BCE, when the young republic faced threats from neighboring Italic tribes like the Aequi and Volsci. As an upper-crust aristocrat, he served as consul in 460 BCE but later retired to a modest farm following financial hardships (possibly due to the death of his son Caeso in exile). 

His legendary story centers on his appointment as dictator in 458 BCE during a military crisis. A Roman consular army, led by Lucius Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus, was trapped and besieged by the Aequi on Mount Algidus near Rome. With the city in peril, the Senate offered Cincinnatus—then in his 80s—the extraordinary powers of dictator (magister populi), a temporary office granting absolute authority for up to six months to resolve emergencies. 

Statue of Cincinnatus in Vienna

According to the ancient historian Livy, Roman envoys found Cincinnatus plowing his small farm (some accounts say digging a ditch) when they arrived with the summons. He reportedly donned his toga, accepted the role without hesitation, and led a swift campaign that defeated the Aequi in a single day, liberating the trapped legions. Upon returning to Rome in triumph, Cincinnatus disbanded his army, relinquished his dictatorship after just 15–16 days (well short of the six-month limit), and famously returned to his plow, rejecting any rewards or prolonged power. 

A second tradition, less corroborated, claims he was reappointed dictator in 439 BCE to investigate and suppress a potential coup by the wealthy plebeian Spurius Maelius, who was accused of using grain distributions to amass monarchical ambitions. Cincinnatus again resolved the crisis quickly and stepped down. 

How did George Washington come to be familiar with these and other stories from ancient times? They were readers. I believe it was David McCullough's biography of John Adams that told a story about the leading book store in London in the 1770s. He wrote that more than half of the sales there had been to the American Colonies. Adams, Jefferson, Washington and others were dedicated students of philosophy, economics, history and the accumulated wisdom of the ages.

Cincinnatus himself became a symbol of the ideal citizen-soldier and republican leader, embodying humility and civic responsibility. In Roman lore, he represented the virtues of an agrarian past over urban corruption. 

His story profoundly influenced the American Founding Fathers, who saw parallels in their own republican experiment. George Washington was dubbed the "American Cincinnatus" for resigning his military commission after the Revolutionary War and declining kingship, prioritizing civilian rule. 

The title "American Cincinnatus" was first applied to George Washington by his contemporaries, notably during and after the Revolutionary War. The nickname is most commonly attributed to Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, who, in his eulogy for Washington in 1799, praised him as a modern embodiment of the Roman leader Cincinnatus— a farmer who reluctantly took power to save his country and then returned to private life.

This led to the naming of the Society of the Cincinnati (1783), a fraternal order of Revolutionary War officers, after him. The city of Cincinnati, Ohio, also derives its name from the society.  Today, Cincinnatus remains invoked in discussions of ethical leadership, contrasting with figures who cling to power, and underscores themes of temporary authority in democratic systems. 

There are lessons about power to be gleaned from this story.

EdNote: U.S. Grant's favorite horse was name Cincinnati. There is also a statue of Cincinnati to this day.