Landon Cabell Garland was the First Chancellor of Vanderbilt University from 1875-1893 and Chancellor Emeritus 1894.

Landon Cabell Garland was born March 21, 1810 in Nelson County, Virginia. He graduated with first honors from Hampdon Sidney College in 1829. He taught chemistry and natural philosophy at Washington College (Lexington, Virginia), c1829-1830, and taught chemistry and natural history at Randolph-Macon College, 1833-1834, eventually being elected chair of the department. In 1837, he was elected president of Randolph-Macon College. In 1854, he was elected president of the University of Alabama. During the Civil War, the University of Alabama was burned to the ground. After a year of trying to rebuild the university, Garland accepted the chair of philosophy and astronomy at the University of Missippi in 1867. He remained there until coming to Vanderbilt University in 1875 to take up the position as chancellor. He died February 13, 1895. He is buried with the three bishops - McTyeire, Soule, and McKendree - on the Vanderbilt Campus, near the Divinity School.

The Landon Cabell Garland Papers, 1830-1993, include correspondence, diaries, speeches, sermons, a report to the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, and personal and biographical materials. The collection is small, only 1/3 of a cubic foot. These are personal papers of Chancellor Garland and are not to be confused with his university papers, which are housed in the University Archives. This collection is a small snap shot of Chancellor Garland's personal life, with the family correspondence providing the main interest.