Padre Garcia, then known as LumangBayan or Sambat, is formerly part of Rosario, Batangas. 

It became an autonomous municipality in 1949 through Executive Order 279 by President Elpidio Quirino, and recognized Jose A. Pesigan and Rustico K. Recto as the first elected mayor and vice mayor of the municipality, respectively. 

The name of the town is derived from one of its most famous sons, Padre Vicente Garcia, a native of Barangay Maugat. Vicente was friends with Jose Rizal, Philippine National Hero, and sternly fought for the Philippines' independence from Spain.

In 1952, the town council founded the cattle market or bakahan. This was in direct competition with the established livestock market of neighboring Rosario, but the bakahan flourished and developed into the biggest livestock auction market in Southern Tagalog and consequently as the “Cattle Trading Capital of the Philippines”.