James Orton was born on April 21, 1830, in Seneca Falls, New York.

He was an American clergyman, naturalist, traveller, and author. He graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., in 1855. In 1858, he graduated from Andover Theological Seminary, and after travelling in Europe and the East, he was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in Greene, New York, in 1860. In 1861, he accepted a call in Thomaston, Maine, where he remained until 1864 when he became pastor in Brighton, New York. He was appointed instructor in natural sciences at the University of Rochester in 1866. In 1869, he was appointed Professor of Natural History at Vassar College, N.Y., a position he held until his death. In 1867, Orton visited South America as a head of an expedition of students from Williams College. He made a second journey in 1873. He died in 1877 during his third expedition while passing Lake Titicaca. 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 the author of "The Andes and the Amazon" (1870), "Underground Treasures" (1872), "Liberal Education of Women" (1873), and "Comparative Zoology" (1875).

In 1859, he married Ellen Maria Foote (1836–1930). He died on September 25, 1877, in Lake Titicaca, Peru.