Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus (c. 12 BC – c. 60 AD) was a Roman senator of the Principate. He was the first member of the Ummidii to reach the office of consul in his family, or a homo novus. Quadratus is also known for his tenure as governor of Syria from c. 50 until his death. Biography Family Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus was born c. 12 BC. His family, the Ummidii, were wealthy aristocrats from the town of Casinum, Latium. His second family name, "Durmius", has been explained in one of two ways: either his mother was a Durmia, or he was a Durmius adopted into the Ummidii. If the latter, this would mean one Marcus Durmius was his father, known to have been a mint official c. 19 BC; it is commonly agreed that there is some relationship between Quadratus and the mint official. Although it is accepted that Quadratus had at least one child—the wealthy Ummidia Quadratilla, memorialized in one of Pliny the Younger's letters—not only is the name of his wife unknown, but also whether Quadratus had married more than once. Career under Tiberius The cursus honorum – the sequence of positions held by Roman senators – of Quadratus is known from two inscriptions, one erected while he was governor of Lusitania, the other much later while governor of Syria. It is possible his relative Marcus Durmius helped Quadratus at the beginning of his senatorial career by facilitating his entrance into the decemviri stlitibus iudicandis, one of the four boards that comprised the vigintiviri, a minor magistracy that was a required first step to enter the Senate. Mireille Corbier dates this achievement to the year 14. Upon promotion as a quaestor, he became a member of the Senate; moreover, he achieved a distinction rarely granted to a homo novus: being one of the two imperial quaestores. For the following years Quadratus advanced rapidly through the traditional republican magistracies, becoming curule aedile around the year 16 and praetor in 18. Immediately after that office, he became prefect of the aerarium Saturni, or overseer of the treasury of Saturn, then held a special office Tiberius had created: curator tabularum publicarum, or keeper of the public archives; Corbier assigns the dates he held these offices to the years 18 and 19 respectively. Quadratus could have expected to acceded to the consulship upon in due course, but his only known office