James Lawrence Orr (May 12, 1822 – May 5, 1873) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 22nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859.

He foresaw the consequences of the decision by South Carolina to attempt to secede from the Union, but he remained loyal to his state, while protecting his own financial interests.

[4] 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, where he served as chairman of the influential Foreign Affairs and Rules committees.

In 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Orr as Minister to Russia in a gesture of post-Civil War reconciliation.

A posthumous portrait of Orr by painter Esther Edmonds is currently part of the collection of the United States Capitol.