Edward Meredith Burgess (June 8, 1934 – June 24, 2018) was an American chemist. He specialized in organic chemistry with an emphasis on methodology, structure, and photochemistry. He is best known for the Burgess reagent (methyl N-(triethylammoniumsulfonyl)carbamate) that is used for selective dehydration of alcohols. Professor Burgess served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Organic Division of the American Chemical Society from 1974 to 1977.