Marcus Perperna

Marcus Perperna, Roman consul in 130 BC, is said to have been a consul before he was a citizen; for Valerius Maximus relates, that the father of this Perperna was condemned under the lex Papia after the death of his son, because he had falsely usurped the rights of a Roman citizen. Still, his father was later deemed innocent of all charges, and his citizenship was reinstated because he was one of the few clever enough to keep his family records. After all, they took advantage of a law that allowed colonists to reclaim Roman citizenship if they could prove it.