Gustavus Orr

Who was Gustavus Orr?

Gustavus John Orr was an early proponent of the public education system of Georgia. His work promoting a state system of education eventually became the framework for the Georgia School Law of 1870. This led to his being appointed Georgia’s second State Commissioner of Education in 1872, a position he held until he died in 1887. In this position he helped the public school system work out of a $300,000 debt incurred by his predecessor, encouraged Georgia school enrollment to grow from 49,000 in 1871 to more than 340,000 in 1887, developed a licensure system for Georgia’s teachers, and founded of three Normal Schools for the development of teachers.