In ancient rome, the family member that had the most authority was the father.
father also known as "paterfamilias" was the legal head of the family. He was the oldest living male in the household. The father had legal authority over the other members of the family. He decided who his children would marry and issued punishment for any family member that disobeyed him. In early Rome, he was even able to have family members put to death, but this rarely happened.
