James Lawrence Orr
| James Orr | |
|---|---|
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| United States Ambassador to Russia | |
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In office December 12, 1872 – May 5, 1873 |
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| President | Ulysses Grant |
| Preceded by | Andrew Curtin |
| Succeeded by | Marshall Jewell |
| 73rd Governor of South Carolina | |
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In office November 29, 1865 – July 6, 1868 |
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| Lieutenant | W. D. Porter |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Perry |
| Succeeded by | Robert Scott |
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Confederate States Senator from South Carolina |
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In office February 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| 22nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
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In office December 7, 1857 – March 3, 1859 |
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| President | James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Banks |
| Succeeded by | William Pennington |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 5th district |
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In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1859 |
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| Preceded by | Armistead Burt |
| Succeeded by | John Ashmore |
| Chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs | |
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In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Ward Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Pringle |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 2nd district |
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In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Simpson |
| Succeeded by | William Aiken |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Pendleton District | |
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In office November 25, 1844 – November 27, 1848 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 12, 1822 Craytonville, South Carolina |
| Died | May 5, 1873 (aged 50) St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Service/branch | Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1862 |
| Unit | 1st South Carolina Rifle Regiment (Orr's Rifles) |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
James Lawrence Orr (May 12, 1822 – May 5, 1873) was an American politician who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in the United States Congress. He later served in the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War and was the 73rd Governor of South Carolina.
Orr was born at Craytonville, South Carolina located in Anderson County, South Carolina. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1841 and became an attorney. He served as a Democratic Congressman from South Carolina from 1849 to 1859, serving as the Speaker of the House from 1857 to 1859. Orr was an advocate of states' rights who used his position to assist those persons who promoted the continuation of slavery. He foresaw the consequences of the decision by South Carolina to attempt to secede from the Union, but he remained loyal to his State. He was one of the three commissioners sent to Washington, 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.
After Fort Sumter and the outbreak of the American Civil War, Orr organized and commanded Orr's Regiment of South Carolina Rifles, which saw little action before he resigned in 1862 and entered the Confederate Senate. The regiment continued to bear his name throughout the war and fought in some of the most prominent battles of the Army of Northern Virginia. In the Confederate Senate, he remained a strong proponent of states' rights.
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