I apologize for the delay in the announcement but a cold cramped my style.  January 3, 106 BC was the birthday of Marcus Tullius Cicero.  He was ( or is- well, his words DO live) a Roman philosopher, politician, poet, amateur gardener, architect, art critic, writer of letters and public speaker.  But in reading these facts alone I am not sure that it is proper for anyone to be impressed.  So I append an example:

In 51 BC Cicero was assigned to be governor of Cilicia (southeastern modern day Turkey).  The position was important as it lay on the fringe of the empire which means that security was a major concern.  He learned well in advance that the previous governor was corrupt and had abused his power and left the province in dire straights.

Letters which detail all of these events survive.  

He chose his staff with great care.  Meetings were held during which he explained that no one was to request or demand any thing from local communities that only money from the governor's allowance was to be used and used sparingly.  Abuse of power of any kind was not to be tolerated.  He kept his word.  

Cicero resisted the Sirens of Greed and Easy Profit.

Off they went. Upon arrival in Cilicia, he made sure that his rules were strictly enforced.  When his duties had been fulfilled he returned to Rome.  Any money he and the staff had not used was returned to the treasury.  There was grumbling amongst his staff that any money left over was their "profit" and should be distributed.  He refused.  I am sure that those staff members who were disgruntled had choice words of description. He did not care.

While in Cilicia, word spread very quickly that this was a man to trust.  Deputations from cities throughout the region sent delegations to complain of abuses.  As he traveled about, moving from place to place in their tents, he held court, heard their concerns and problems and solved each one.  He even convinced the tax collectors that if they should lower the taxes that the people of Cilicia would probably more readily pay their taxes, thus saving the tax collectors the difficulties that they had experienced. Taxes were lowered and indeed payment with speed.  During the hearing he learned that local officials themselves had been cheating their own citizens in these matters.  These he summoned and convinced them that they could avoid public disgrace by returning the public monies. He persisted.

Cicero as governor of Cilicia had control over Cyprus, an island at the eastern end of the Mediterranean.  A very powerful Roman wrote to Cicero that large sums of money was owed by the people of Cyprus but were nastily refusing to pay up and he wanted Cicero to send troops to enforce payment at sword point.  Cicero did some investigating and learned that this distant powerful Roman had lied about the circumstances and had actually been charging a yearly interest rate of 48 %.  Cicero refused to send troops, discovered that there were troops already there trying to wring the money out of the locals and ordered those off the island.  Serious and arrogant letters were sent to Cicero.  He did not flinch.

During these efforts he was constantly pestered with nasty letters from the previous governor, an immensely powerful figure, who complained that Cicero's manner of governing made him, the previous governor, look bad. He did not back down.   He even managed to prevent the delegations which communities had been forced to send to Rome praising this previous governor.  The letters of Cicero in return are examples of master diplomacy at work.  So skillful was he in his care to deal with the previous governor that soon after he dedicated a literary work to Cicero.

So here we have a former Consul, now governor with a chance for easy graft and certainly a great deal of legal profit.  And yet he returned home no richer than when he left.  

Any politician, present or future, would do well to follow his example.

Marcus Tullius Cicero in Capitoline Museum