Benjamin G. Orr

Benjamin G. Orr

Benjamin Grayson Orr (1762–1822) was the fourth mayor of Washington, D.C., elected by the council of aldermen in 1817 and serving for two years.

Orr, probably born in Virginia, was a grocer in Georgetown – which in the early 19th century was a separate town from Washington. He moved into the city in 1812 and was elected an Alderman, but resigned one year later and became a supplier to U.S. Army brigades in Ohio and Michigan.^[1]

As mayor, Orr procured public improvements such as grading of the streets and established Washington’s first volunteer fire companies, appropriating $1,000 for the purchase of four fire bells and procured apparatus for the companies. He also authorized a lottery to raise funds to build a penitentiary and city hall.^[2]

He died in 1822 and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Benjamin Orr Elementary School in Washington is named for him.

References

1. http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/PDF/Obits/O/Obits_Orr.pdf
2. Belva Lockwood And The 'Way Of The World'