Ernest George Merritt (April 28, 1865 – June 5, 1948)[1] was Dean of the Graduate School, Cornell University; Chair of the Physics Department.

Cornell made him a full professor in 1903 and head of the Physics department in 1919, succeeding his mentor, Edward L. Nichols, as chair.

In 1898, Merritt joined with Professor A. G. Webster, Clark University, and others to create the American Physical Society.

Merritt also worked in acoustics, electromagnetic oscillations, radio propagation, gaseous discharges, and cathode ray experiments.

Professor Merritt was also a member of the New York Alpha chapter, Phi Kappa Psi, serving on its corporate board for a half century, and the Irving Literary Society.