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Melville Jacobs (1902-1971) was an anthropologist and teacher from New York City who is known for his work with the indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest. He graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1922 with his BA, from Columbia University in 1923 with his MA in American history, and from Columbia again in 1931 with his PhD in anthropology. He taught at the University of Washington from 1928 to 1971 while he studied the music, languages, cultures, and traditions of the indigenous peoples of Oregon State. During his studies, Jacobs worked with the Clackamas Chinook, Tillamook Salish, Alsea, Hanis and Miluk Coos, Upper Umpqua and Galice, Creek Athabaskan, Sahaptin, Molale, and Kalapuya peoples. His work focused on music, traditional stories, and grammatical paradigms. He collected various materials during his field studies, including sound recordings, baskets, and dolls.