James Orton (21 April 1830, Seneca Falls, New York – 25 September 1877, Lake Titicaca, Peru) was an American naturalist who contributed much to the knowledge of South America and the Amazon basin.

After spending some time in travel in Europe and the East, he was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in Greene, New York, on July 11, 1860.

[1] In 1867 Orton visited South America at the head of an expedition of students that were sent out under the auspices of Williams College.

[1] Orton was regarded as the best authority on the subject of the geology and physical geography of the west coast of South America and the Amazon valley.

He was a member of scientific societies in the United States and in Europe, whose transactions he enriched with papers on the natural history of South America.