His father was the famed Roman politician Appius Claudius Caecus, who had been twice consul, censor, and dictator.
[6] Claudius held the consulship in 268 BC with Publius Sempronius Sophus as his colleague.
[7] Suetonius mentions a Claudius Russus who set up a statue of himself wearing a diadem at Forum Appii, stating that he tried to claim possession of Italy by means of his clientelae.
[13] His identification with Appius Claudius Russus, the consul of 268 BC, is not certain, but is consistent with the order in which Suetonius lists the various ancestors of Tiberius.
Broughton suggests that Suetonius may have been hinting at something sinister related to Claudius' death in his year of office.