[2] From 1856 to 1859, he was professor of natural science in the New York state normal school at Albany.

He was named state geologist in 1882, and continued in that position until his death in Columbus, Ohio, on October 16, 1899.

[1] He was a member of scientific societies, and was president of the state sanitary association of Ohio in 1884–1885.

Orton served for a time on the geological surveys of the United States, of Kentucky, and of Kansas, and was president of the Geological Society of America (1896),[3] and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1898–99).

He was essentially an economic geologist, and specialized in the study of oil and gas, developing several well-known theories, notably the "anticlinal theory,” becoming widely known as an authority on the nature and geological occurrence of these products.