Gustavus Orr
1817 - 1887
Orr was a graduate of Emory College and later became the chair of its mathematics department, a position he held until 1866. In the winter of 1859-60, Georgia Governor Brown appointed Orr to survey the boundary between Florida and Georgia with Florida’s Col. B. F. Whitner in order to settle a boundary dispute that had existed since the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1819. Together they established the boundary that still exists today.
Gustavus Orr was one of the founding members of the Georgia Teachers Association in 1867 and also served as its vice president. It might seem remarkable today, but the concept of a state government having any responsibility for education is a relatively modern one, and one that took hold only slowly. A state-wide school system for all people was the vision of a handful of citizens and educators, among them, Gustavus Orr (although their vision did not include children of color). Orr drafted a plan promoting a free public education system called the “Report on a System of Public Schools for the State of Georgia,” which would later be drafted as legislation as the School Law of 1870. It provided for state and county boards of education, county commissioners, sub-districts in counties with school trustees, and boards of examiners with the authority to license teachers.
Orr would go on to become the second state school commissioner in 1872, a position he held until his death in 1887. The first commissioner, John Randolf Lewis, was forced out of office due to mismanagement. Although honest in his work, as a former dentist, Lewis was ill-prepared for the demands of the job and left the new school system $300,000 in debt.
During his tenure as commissioner, Orr was able to cure the debt left by his predecessor and enrollment in Georgia public schools rose from 49,000 in 1871 to over 340,000 by 1887. Orr developed a licensure system for public school teachers and founded three schools to train high school graduates to become teachers. Because these schools established teaching standards, or norms, they were called “Normal Schools.” These types of schools would later become known as “teachers’ colleges.”
Gustavus Orr, often called “the father of Georgia public schools,” was literally “worked to death.” His last report to legislators was a plea for more office help. His own family members were working in his office for free to help alleviate some of the strain. His correspondences alone included letters to school officials in other states as well as in 137 countries around the world.
Gustavus Orr was one of the founding members of the Georgia Teachers Association in 1867 and also served as its vice president. It might seem remarkable today, but the concept of a state government having any responsibility for education is a relatively modern one, and one that took hold only slowly. A state-wide school system for all people was the vision of a handful of citizens and educators, among them, Gustavus Orr (although their vision did not include children of color). Orr drafted a plan promoting a free public education system called the “Report on a System of Public Schools for the State of Georgia,” which would later be drafted as legislation as the School Law of 1870. It provided for state and county boards of education, county commissioners, sub-districts in counties with school trustees, and boards of examiners with the authority to license teachers.
Orr would go on to become the second state school commissioner in 1872, a position he held until his death in 1887. The first commissioner, John Randolf Lewis, was forced out of office due to mismanagement. Although honest in his work, as a former dentist, Lewis was ill-prepared for the demands of the job and left the new school system $300,000 in debt.
During his tenure as commissioner, Orr was able to cure the debt left by his predecessor and enrollment in Georgia public schools rose from 49,000 in 1871 to over 340,000 by 1887. Orr developed a licensure system for public school teachers and founded three schools to train high school graduates to become teachers. Because these schools established teaching standards, or norms, they were called “Normal Schools.” These types of schools would later become known as “teachers’ colleges.”
Gustavus Orr, often called “the father of Georgia public schools,” was literally “worked to death.” His last report to legislators was a plea for more office help. His own family members were working in his office for free to help alleviate some of the strain. His correspondences alone included letters to school officials in other states as well as in 137 countries around the world.