Ralph Bunche

Ralph Johnson Bunche (/bʌntʃ/; August 7, 1903 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 Israel. He was the first African American and the first American 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.