# Which civil service postings in Republican or Imperial Roman times could be appointed rather than elected? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 29, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247 "2022-12-29T00:56:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/1 "2022-12-29T00:56:34Z")
Which civil service postings in Republican or Imperial Roman times could be appointed rather than elected? I know that legates (legati) were appointed. What about magistrates? quaestors? Were they ever appointed by a consul? emperor? rather than just elected? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/2 "2022-12-29T12:13:01Z")
[Dictators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_dictator#Nomination) were appointed, usually by consuls. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/3 "2022-12-29T15:53:34Z")
Provincial governors were appointed, by the council or the Senate. Governors themselves could appoint assistant governors. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/4 "2022-12-29T16:03:36Z")
Thanks zimaane. Can you give me the exact Latin terms for ‘provincial governor’ and ‘assistant governor’ you’re referring to? ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/5 "2022-12-29T16:13:47Z")
Rector provinciae for governor. I’m not sure about assistant governor. Maybe prefect, although a prefect could be a lot of things. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/6 "2022-12-29T16:27:26Z")
What distinction are we drawing between “elected” and “appointed by the Senate”? The Senate was the only body that voted on anything. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/7 "2022-12-29T17:00:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The Senate was the only body that voted on anything. Not true during the Republic. The [Tribunes of the People](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_of_the_plebs) (Latin: _tribuni plebis_) could call [Plebian Councils](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebeian_Council) (Latin: _Concilium Plebis_) which could vote on laws. Originally these laws only applied to the common people, but later to everyone. However, the laws only applied within the city or within one mile of the city. Julius Caesar, who was a patrician and thus ineligible to be elected Tribune, had the Senate make him one anyway. That was the end of the power of the Tribunes. He could block the actions of other Tribunes by having them impeached. It became a standard part of becoming Emperor to have the Senate make them Tribunes (and pretty much all the other Roman offices as well). ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/8 "2022-12-29T17:43:18Z")
It also made his person legally inviolable so any assault on him was punished by the state. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/9 "2022-12-29T19:15:28Z")
Note, however, that _rector provinciae_ was not a formal title. It was a catch-all term to refer to provincial governors independently of the formal title they held, which could have been something like _proconsul_ or _propraetor_. The _pro-_ designates that the holder of the title was not actually a consul or praetor but held consular or praetorial power in the province he was assigned to. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-civil-service-postings-in-republican-or-imperial-roman-times-could-be-appointed-rather-than-elected/977247/10 "2022-12-29T19:21:55Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > It also made his person legally inviolable so any assault on him was punished by the state. Turned out to be not quite as protective as he might have hoped.