Representative Daniel Edward Garrett

Daniel Edward Garrett (April 28, 1869 – December 13, 1932) was an American lawyer, state legislator, and Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas, elected at large and later from the 8th congressional district. Serving in the United States Congress from 1913 to 1933, he held office for eight terms during a period of significant political and economic change in the United States, contributing to the legislative process and representing the interests of his constituents in Texas.

Garrett was born near Springfield, in Robertson County, Tennessee, on April 28, 1869. He attended the common schools of his native county, receiving a basic education typical of rural Tennessee in the late nineteenth century. Drawn to the law and public affairs, he pursued legal studies after his schooling and prepared for admission to the bar.

In 1893, Garrett was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Springfield, Tennessee. Even before formally beginning his legal career, he had entered public service; he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1892 and served there until 1896. After several years in private practice and continued political involvement, he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 1902 and again in 1904, participating in state-level legislative deliberations during a period marked by debates over economic development, regulation, and political reform in the South.

Garrett moved to Houston, Texas, in 1905, where he continued the practice of law and established himself in his adopted state’s legal and political circles. His growing prominence in Texas politics led to his election as a Democrat at large from Texas to the Sixty-third Congress, serving from March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1915. After this initial term in the U.S. House of Representatives, he was defeated for reelection in 1914 by James H. Davis and returned to his law practice in Houston. Remaining active in public life, he again sought the at-large congressional seat and, in 1917, defeated Davis, serving another term from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1919. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1918 and once more resumed his legal work.

In 1920, Garrett ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’s 8th congressional district, which included the city of Houston and surrounding counties, following the retirement of Representative Joe H. Eagle. He won the seat and took office on March 4, 1921. From that date until his death in 1932, he served continuously in Congress, being reelected to successive terms. Over the course of these eight terms in the House—first as an at-large representative and then as the member from the 8th district—Garrett participated in the democratic process at the national level, contributing to debates and legislation during World War I, the postwar period, the 1920s, and the early years of the Great Depression.

Garrett died in office in Washington, D.C., on December 13, 1932, while still serving as the representative from Texas’s 8th district. His death placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office during the first half of the twentieth century. He was interred in Forest Park Cemetery in Houston, Texas, reflecting the close ties he had forged with his adopted state. In recognition of his public service, the Liberty ship USS Daniel E. Garrett was named in his honor and deployed during World War II, commemorating his long tenure and contributions as a Democratic representative from Texas.