Orr, Hector, 1770-1855

Hector Orr was born on March 24, 1770 in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard from 1789 to 1792, receiving an A.B. in 1792, an A.M. in 1801 and an M.D. (Hon.) in 1818. After completing his undergraduate degree, he studied medicine with Dr. Ephraim Wales of Randolph, Massachusetts. In 1796 Orr was commissioned by President John Adams to serve as a surgeon in the U.S. Navy; in this role he went on a long voyage to India. In 1801 he became a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and his career as a practicing physician lasted almost sixty years. He was also an active member of the Masonic Brotherhood. Hector Orr died April 29, 1855.