Quintus is presumed to have been the son of Lucius Aelius Tubero and Visellia, the daughter of a Helvia and Gaius Aculeo, and a maternal cousin of the orator Cicero.
[1] He fought for Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC but was subsequently pardoned by Julius Caesar.
In 46 BC, Tubero unsuccessfully attempted to prosecute one of Caesar's opponents, Quintus Ligarius, whose defence was undertaken by Cicero.
Tubero authored several works on law, as well as an annalistic history of Rome in at least 14 books, covering the period from the city's foundation to his own day.
He is known to have used the libri lintei (linen books or rolls) as a source, and the historian Livy cites him as a reference.