Ralph Bunche

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Ralph Johnson Bunche (August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist and diplomat who helped shape the United Nations and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for mediating the 1949 armistice between Israel and its Arab neighbors. He was the first Black person to receive a Nobel Prize.

Early life and education
Bunche was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up largely in Los Angeles after his mother died and his family faced hard times. He was a standout student, graduating as valedictorian from Jefferson High School. He earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) summa cum laude in 1927, then a master’s and a PhD in political science from Harvard University (the first Black American to earn a PhD in political science). He taught at Howard University for many years and wrote about race, colonialism, and international relations.

Career and the United Nations
During World War II, Bunche worked for the OSS and the State Department. He helped plan the United Nations at Dumbarton Oaks and assisted in drafting the UN Charter. He also contributed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Bunche played a leading role in decolonization and in UN peacekeeping, serving as head of the UN Trusteeship Division and taking on troubled crises around the world.

Middle East mediation and Nobel Prize
In 1948–49, Bunche acted as the UN’s chief mediator in the Middle East, helping negotiate the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbors. For this work, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. He continued to work for the UN on crises in the Congo, Yemen, Kashmir, Cyprus, and Bahrain, and he served as Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs starting in 1957. He was briefly acting UN secretary-general in 1953.

Civil rights and personal life
Bunche was a strong supporter of the U.S. civil rights movement. He participated in the 1963 March on Washington and joined the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, contributing to the push for voting rights. He married Ruth Harris in 1930, and they had three children. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. Bunche died in New York City in 1971 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Legacy
Throughout his career, Bunche worked to end colonial rule, advance human rights, and promote peace. He left a lasting impact on international diplomacy and on African American leadership in the 20th century.