His paternal grandfather, Gaius Claudius Severus, was a consul and the first Roman governor of Arabia Petraea in the reign of the Emperor Trajan, 98–117.
Although Severus held no major political influence, he was considered as an influential figure in the intellectual and philosophical circles in Rome.
Like his father, Severus was a friend and had a great influence on the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180).
It was probably Severus that introduced Marcus Aurelius to the rhetorician Cornelianus and recommended Galen to him as his personal physician.
In the year of his second consulship, Severus became a patron and was made an honorary citizen of Pompeiopolis.