Edward L. Dreyer (1940–2007) was an American historian, known for his works on the history of the Chinese Ming Empire. Born in San Diego, Dreyer earned his B.A. in history from Harvard University in 1961. In 1971 he earned a PhD degree with a thesis on "The Emergence of Chu Yuan-chang, 1360–65." His advisors were John Fairbank and Lien-sheng Yang.