Publius Autronius Paetus was a politician of the late Roman Republic

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

 who was involved in the conspiracy of Catiline

Catiline

Lucius Sergius Catilina , known in English as Catiline, was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC who is best known for the Catiline conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, and in particular the power of the aristocratic Senate.-Family background:Catiline was born in 108 BC to...

.

He was elected consul

Consul

Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...

 in 66 BC

66 BC

Year 66 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Tullus...

 (to serve in 65 BC

65 BC

Year 65 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cotta and Torquatus...

), alongside Publius Cornelius Sulla

Publius Cornelius Sulla

Publius Cornelius Sulla was a politician of the late Roman Republic. He was a relative of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix. He was elected consul in 66 BC together with Publius Autronius, but both were discovered to have committed bribery and were disqualified from the office...

, but before they could take office both were accused of electoral corruption by Lucius Aurelius Cotta

Lucius Aurelius Cotta

Lucius Aurelius Cotta was a Roman politician from an old noble family who held the offices of praetor , consul and censor . Both his father and grandfather of the same name had been consuls, and his two brothers, Gaius Aurelius Cotta and Marcus Aurelius Cotta, preceded him as consul in 75 and 74...

 and Lucius Manlius Torquatus

Lucius Manlius Torquatus

Lucius Manlius Torquatus was a Roman politician who was elected Consul in 65 BC after the condemnation of Publius Cornelius Sulla and Publius Autronius Paetus.-Biography:...

. They were found guilty, their election was declared void and their accusers were appointed consuls in their place. Autronius conspired with Catiline to murder the new consuls, but the plot collapsed when Catiline gave the signal before all the conpirators were assembled.

Autronius was implicated in Catiline's failed conspiracy to overthrow the government in 66 BC

66 BC

Year 66 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Tullus...

. After his old friend Cicero

Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...

 refused to defend him, he was convicted and sent into exile in Epeirus. When Cicero himself was exiled in 58 BC

58 BC

Year 58 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Piso and Gabinius...

, he was concerned that Autronius might attempt to kill him.