James Lawrence Orr | |
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| 22ndSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office December 7, 1857 – March 3, 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Banks |
| Succeeded by | William Pennington |
| United States Ambassador to Russia | |
| In office December 12, 1872 – May 5, 1873 | |
| President | Ulysses Grant |
| Preceded by | Andrew Curtin |
| Succeeded by | Marshall Jewell |
| 73rdGovernor of South Carolina | |
| In office November 29, 1865 – July 6, 1868 | |
| Lieutenant | William Porter |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Perry |
| Succeeded by | Robert Scott |
| Confederate States Senator fromSouth Carolina | |
| In office February 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Leader of theHouse Democratic Caucus | |
| In office December 7, 1857 – March 3, 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Linn Boyd |
| Succeeded by | Michael C. Kerr |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina | |
| In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Richard F. Simpson (2nd) Armistead Burt (5th) |
| Succeeded by | William Aiken Jr. (2nd) John D. Ashmore (5th) |
| Constituency | 2nd district (1849–53) 5th district (1853–59) |
| Chairman of theHouse Committee on Indian Affairs | |
| In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Ward Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Pringle |
| Member of theSouth Carolina House of Representatives fromPendleton District | |
| In office November 25, 1844 – November 27, 1848 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1822-05-12)May 12, 1822 |
| Died | May 5, 1873(1873-05-05) (aged 50) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1862 |
| Unit | First (Orr's) South Carolina Rifle Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
James Lawrence Orr (May 12, 1822 – May 5, 1873) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 22ndspeaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859.[1] He also served as the73rd governor of South Carolina from 1865 to 1868 after a term in theConfederate States Senate.
Orr was born atCraytonville, South Carolina. He graduated from theUniversity of Virginia in 1841 and became an attorney. In 1843 he married Mary Jane Marshall; they had seven children.[2] He served as aDemocraticCongressman fromSouth Carolina from 1849 to 1859, serving as theSpeaker of the House from 1857 to 1859. Orr was an advocate ofstates' rights who used his position to assist those persons who promoted the continuation of slavery. He foresaw the consequences of the decision bySouth Carolina to attempt to secede from theUnion, but he remained loyal to his state, while protecting his own financial interests. Orr owned at least fourteen enslaved people in 1850 and purchased at least five more before 1860.[3] He was one of the three commissioners sent toWashington, D.C. to negotiate the transfer of federal property to South Carolina; the failure of these negotiations led directly to the bombardment of one of the highest-profile federal assets within South Carolina,Fort Sumter.
Orr served as president of the 1860 South Carolina Democratic convention, which endorsed him for theDemocratic presidential nomination.[4]
After Fort Sumter and the outbreak of the American Civil War, Orr organized and commandedOrr's Regiment of South Carolina Rifles, which saw little action before he resigned in 1862 and entered theConfederate Senate, where he served as chairman of the influential Foreign Affairs and Rules committees. The regiment continued to bear his name throughout the war and fought in some of the most prominent battles of theArmy of Northern Virginia. In the Confederate Senate, he remained a strong proponent of states' rights.
At the end of the war, Orr waselected governor and served from 1865 until the passage of a new state constitution in 1868. In 1872 PresidentUlysses S. Grant appointed Orr asMinister to Russia in a gesture of post-Civil War reconciliation. Orr died inSt. Petersburg, Russia shortly after arriving to begin his service as Minister. He was interred in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery inAnderson, South Carolina.
A posthumous portrait of Orr by painterEsther Edmonds is currently part of the collection of theUnited States Capitol.[5] The portrait was removed from public display in the Speaker's Lobby outside the House Chamber after an order issued by the Speaker of the House,Nancy Pelosi on June 18, 2020.[6][7]
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