Rice Garland was a United States Representative from Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

.

Garland was born in Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...

 and he pursued a basic education, studied law and was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law. He moved to Opelousas, Louisiana

Opelousas, Louisiana

Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...

 in 1820 and continued the practice of his profession. Garland was elected from the Louisiana's 3rd congressional district

Louisiana's 3rd congressional district

Louisiana's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district surrounds the southern tier of the Greater New Orleans Area. The district contains large portions of southeastern and south central Louisiana, including River Parishes and East Acadiana...

 as an Anti-Jacksonian in 1833 to the Twenty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Henry Adams Bullard

Henry Adams Bullard

Henry Adams Bullard was a member of the U. S. House of Representatives representing the state of Louisiana. He served two terms as a Democrat and one as a Whig....

. He was reelected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress and as a Whig

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

 to the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses, in which he served as Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War. Garland served in Congress from April 28, 1834, to July 21, 1840, when he resigned to accept an appointment as Judge of the Supreme Court of Louisiana, in which capacity he served, with residence in New Orleans until 1846. In 1846, he moved to Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...

, and continued the practice of law until his death in that city in 1861; He was buried in a cemetery at Brownsville.