Henry Ernest Dudeney (10 April 1857 – 24 April 1930) was an English author and mathematician who specialised in logic puzzles and mathematical games. Dudeney was born in the town of Mayfield, East Sussex, England, and died in nearby Lewes. In 1884 he married Alice Whittier, a writer who published a number of short stories in Harper's Magazine under the name "Mrs. Henry Dudeney".

Dudeney learned to play chess at an early age, and continued to play frequently throughout his life. This led to a particular interest in mathematics and the composition of puzzles. Although he spent his career in the Civil Service, Dudeney continued to devise various problems and puzzles. He exchanged puzzles with fellow recreational mathematician Sam Loyd for a while, but broke off the correspondence and accused Loyd of stealing Dudeney's puzzles and publishing them under his own name.

Dudeney contributed for many years to the Strand Magazine. He also published several collections of puzzles, including The Canterbury Puzzles (1907), Amusements in Mathematics (1917), and Modern Puzzles (1926). In addition, he has been credited with inventing verbal arithmetic.