Noah Webster

From Conservapedia

Noah Webster (1758-1843) is the American lexicographer and textbook author whose name means "dictionary" to Americans. He fought in the American Revolution and later became an attorney, but he decided to teach school in New York City. Unhappy with children's spelling books, he wrote the "Blue-Backed Speller" that sold over one hundred million copies.

His first dictionary was entitled An American Dictionary of the English Language.

It was Noah Webster who gradually introduced many of the changes between U. S. and British spelling, dropping the u from words like color and honor, changing the -re to -er in words like center and theater, and changing -ce to -se in words like license and defense.