Noah Webster, Jr. (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843), is a lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author.

He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education."

His blue-backed speller books teach five generations of American children how to spell and read, and make their education more secular and less religious.

His name becomes synonymous with "dictionary," especially the modern Merriam-Webster dictionary that is first published in 1828 as An American Dictionary of the English Language.