In his youth, he attended school in Lexington, worked on a farm, and studied law, eventually being accepted to the Missouri bar.

[3] Ryland was drawn to California in 1849, during the Gold Rush, and was appointed clerk of the Court of First Instance in San Francisco by Military Governor Bennet C. Riley shortly after his arrival.

[2] Ryland was elected to the California State Assembly from the 4th district in 1855, and chaired the Committee on Internal Improvements where he reported a bill on building a wagon road across the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

He left office in 1857 and was then re-elected in 1867 from the 7th district, also serving as Speaker of the Assembly until 1868.

[2][1] In 1876, Ryland was chairman of the State Democratic Convention and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate.