James Edward Melbourne (c. 1876 – 13 December 1937) was the first Indigenous Australian to play senior Australian rules football in a major Australian football league. Melbourne was orphaned at the age of four and spent his formative years in a Middle Swan orphanage before being put into the care of various businessmen in York. As a teenager, he was an accomplished jockey and spent time in prison for petty crimes (including stealing, cashing a cheque, passing counterfeit coins, and escaping from a lock-up).