Jackson Orr
Encyclopedia
Jackson Orr was a lawyer, Civil War
officer, businessman, and two-term Republican U.S. Representative
from western Iowa
. Continuing westward, he spent the last five decades of his life in Colorado
.
Born at Washington Court House, Ohio
, Orr moved with his parents to Benton, Indiana
, in 1836.
He attended the common schools and Indiana University
at Bloomington.
He moved to Jefferson, Iowa
, in 1856. He studied law and was admitted to the bar.
From 1861 to 1863, he served in the Union Army
as captain of Company H, 10th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
.
He engaged in mercantile pursuits in the City of Montana (now Boone), Iowa
, and served as member of the Iowa House of Representatives
in 1868. That year, (when Iowa had six seats in the U.S. House), he fell two votes short of winning the Republican
nomination to represent Iowa's 6th congressional district
.
In 1870 Orr won the Republican nomination, and was elected to represent the 6th district in the 42nd United States Congress
. Based on the 1870 census, Iowa received three more seats in the House, and Orr's home county was then included in Iowa's new 9th congressional district
. Running in the new district, Orr won election to the 43rd United States Congress
, where he chaired the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior. He served in Congress from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875.
Orr was not a candidate for renomination in 1874, but instead moved to Silverton
, a mining town in a newly-opened area of southwestern Colorado Territory
, in 1875.
In Colorado, Orr was elected county judge and served for three years. He moved to Denver, Colorado
, and engaged in the practice of his profession and also in the real estate business. In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur
appointed him as one of three commissioners to implement a treaty between the United States and the Ute tribe
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Colorado's at-large Congressional seat in 1884. He served as president of the Denver Fire and Police Board in 1893 and 1894.
He died in Denver on March 15, 1926. He was interred in Fairmount Cemetery
in Denver.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
officer, businessman, and two-term Republican U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from western Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Continuing westward, he spent the last five decades of his life in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Born at Washington Court House, Ohio
Washington Court House, Ohio
Washington Court House is a city in Fayette County, Ohio, United States. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located approximately halfway between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. The population was 14,192 in 2010 at the 2010 census...
, Orr moved with his parents to Benton, Indiana
Benton, Indiana
Benton is an unincorporated town in Benton Township, Elkhart County, Indiana....
, in 1836.
He attended the common schools and Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
at Bloomington.
He moved to Jefferson, Iowa
Jefferson, Iowa
Jefferson is a city in Greene County, Iowa, United States, along the North Raccoon River. The population was 4,626 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. It is the home of the Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower, tall, located on the town square, and visible for miles. The tower is...
, in 1856. He studied law and was admitted to the bar.
From 1861 to 1863, he served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
as captain of Company H, 10th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
10th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 10th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 10th Iowa Infantry was organized at Iowa City, Iowa and Montezuma, Iowa, and mustered into Federal service on September 6 and September 28, 1861 .The regiment...
.
He engaged in mercantile pursuits in the City of Montana (now Boone), Iowa
Boone, Iowa
Boone is a city in and the county seat of Des Moines Township, Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the 'Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area', which encompasses all of Boone County. This micropolitan statistical area, along with the 'Ames, Iowa Metropolitan...
, and served as member of the Iowa House of Representatives
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...
in 1868. That year, (when Iowa had six seats in the U.S. House), he fell two votes short of winning the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination to represent Iowa's 6th congressional district
Iowa's 6th congressional district
Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former congressional district in Iowa. It existed from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's declining population....
.
In 1870 Orr won the Republican nomination, and was elected to represent the 6th district in the 42nd United States Congress
42nd United States Congress
The Forty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873, during the third and fourth...
. Based on the 1870 census, Iowa received three more seats in the House, and Orr's home county was then included in Iowa's new 9th congressional district
Iowa's 9th congressional district
Iowa’s 9th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1943. The district was configured four times, first as part of a nine-district plan, then twice in eleven-district plans, then again in a nine-district plan...
. Running in the new district, Orr won election to the 43rd United States Congress
43rd United States Congress
The Forty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873 to March 4, 1875, during the fifth and sixth...
, where he chaired the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Interior. He served in Congress from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875.
Orr was not a candidate for renomination in 1874, but instead moved to Silverton
Silverton, Colorado
The town of Silverton is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, San Juan County, Colorado, United States. Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District,...
, a mining town in a newly-opened area of southwestern Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado....
, in 1875.
In Colorado, Orr was elected county judge and served for three years. He moved to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and engaged in the practice of his profession and also in the real estate business. In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
appointed him as one of three commissioners to implement a treaty between the United States and the Ute tribe
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Colorado's at-large Congressional seat in 1884. He served as president of the Denver Fire and Police Board in 1893 and 1894.
He died in Denver on March 15, 1926. He was interred in Fairmount Cemetery
Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)
Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado was founded in 1890 and is Denver's second oldest operating cemetery after Riverside Cemetery. It was designed by German landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze...
in Denver.