Cincinnatus

Cincinnatus was a statesman and military leader of the early Roman Republic. His greatest claim to fame is that he was twice given dictatorial powers by the Roman Senate, and relinquished the powers and returned to farming both times after each crisis had been averted. The reality of Cincinnatus remains debated &mdash; he fulfilled the Roman ideal a little too well.

Centuries later, the first President of the United States, George Washington, was influenced by Cincinnatus when he decided to leave the Presidency and return to his home at Mt. Vernon.

The personality traits of Russell Crowe's character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, from the movie Gladiator were also heavily influenced by Cincinnatus.

Adapted from a deleted RationalWiki article.