American political scientist, academic, and diplomat
1904 CE
to 1971 CE
Ralph Johnson Bunche (August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) is an American political scientist, academic, and diplomat who receives the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Israel.
He is the first African American to be so honored.
He is involved in the formation and administration of the United Nations and plays a major role in numerous peacekeeping operations sponsored by the UN
In 1963, he is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.
Bunche serves on the US delegation to both the Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization in 1944 and United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco in 1945 that drafts the UN charter.
Bunche serves on the American delegation to the first session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946.
He next joins the UN as head of the Trusteeship Department, and begins a long series of troubleshooting roles
In 1948 he becomes an acting mediator for the Middle East, negotiating an armistice between Egypt and Israel.
For this success he is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.
He continues to serve at the United Nations, working on crises in the Sinai (1956), the Congo (1960), Yemen (1963), Cyprus (1964) and Bahrain in 1970, reporting directly to the UN secretary general.
He also chairs study groups dealing with water resources in the Middle East.
In 1957 he is promoted to Undersecretary for special political affairs, having prime responsibility for peacekeeping roles.
In 1965 he supervises the cease-fire following the war between India and Pakistan.
