Ralph Johnson Bunche (/bʌntʃ/; August 7, 1903 (disputed) or 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, academic, and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine. He was the first African American and person of color to be so honored in the history of the prize. He was involved in the formation and administration of the United Nations. In 1963, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.For more than two decades, Bunche served as chair of the Department of Political Science at Howard University (1928 to 1950), where he also taught generations of students. He served as a member of the Board of Overseers of his alma mater, Harvard University (1960–1965), as a member of the board of the Institute of International Education, and as a trustee of Oberlin College, Lincoln University, and New Lincoln School.In August 2008 the United States National Archives and Records Administration made public the fact that Ralph Bunche had joined the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) – the precursor organization to the Central Intelligence Agency – during World War II.
December 9, 1971, New York City, New York, United States
Place Of Birth
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Education
University of California, Los Angeles, Howard University, Harvard University
Awards
Nobel Peace Prize
Star Sign
Aries
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Fact
1
During World War II, Bunche became the first Afro-American to hold a top job in the State Department.
2
He was the first black person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He received it for having arranged a cease-fire between Israelis and Arabs during the war which followed the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
3
While a student at UCLA during the early 1920s, he worked as a houseboy for Charles Ray.
4
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
One More River
1964
Documentary
Himself
Omnibus
1959
TV Series
Himself
Jack Hylton's Monday Show
1958
TV Series
Himself
Person to Person
1954
TV Series documentary
Himself - Diplomat
The Ed Sullivan Show
1953
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Ethel
2012
Documentary
Himself
Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey
2001
Documentary
Himself
The Speeches of Malcolm X
1997
Video documentary
Himself - Leads March Into Montgomery, Listens to Abernathy