Frederic G. Melcher (1879-1963), American publisher, editor, and bookseller, known for championing excellence in literature for children. Melcher was born in Malden, Massachusetts, and grew up in Newton Center near Boston, Massachusetts. He began working in a bookstore at the age of 16 and quickly rose to the position of bookseller. He became active in the American Booksellers Association and the Boston Booksellers' League, serving as president of the latter organization in 1912. In 1913 Melcher moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, to manage a bookstore. In 1918 he accepted the position of coeditor at Publishers Weekly magazine in New York City.

In 1919 Melcher and Franklin K. Mathiews, chief librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, founded the Children's Book Week celebration, which librarians, booksellers, and schools continue to recognize annually. In 1920 Melcher began publishing special issues of Publishers Weekly devoted to children's books, and in 1921 he established the Newbery Medal, presented annually to the author deemed to have written the most distinguished book for children published in the United States during the preceding year. The award is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). In 1937 Melcher proposed an annual award for the most distinguished picture book published each year. The ALSC also administers this award, called the Caldecott Medal, which the ALA presents annually to the illustrator of the winning picture book.

While at Publishers Weekly, Melcher became involved in many aspects of book publishing, including copyright law, trade issues, librarianship, book production, and graphic arts. He served in numerous publishing, graphic arts, and library associations, and his editorials and speeches were highly influential. In 1934 Melcher became president of R. R. Bowker & Co., which publishes Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. In 1958 he became the company's chairman. The ALA elected Melcher an honorary member in 1945, and in 1962 he received the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association for his contributions to the field of children's literature.