Ralph+Johnson+Bunche

Ralph Johnson Bunche (08.03.1903-12.09.1971)

__Early Life__ Ralph Johnson Bunche was born on August 7, 1903 in Detroit, Michigan to Fred Bunch and Olive Johnson. He lived with his parents, his younger sister Grace and his Grandmother "Nana" Lucy Taylor Johnson. When he was 10, his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in hopes that the dry climate would improve his mother's health. When he was 12, his father left, in search of a full-time job. Without his father there, Bunche became very close to his uncle Charlie Johnson, his mother's brother. In February of 1917, his mother died, after a long battle with Tuberculosis. 3 months later, Charlie committed suicide.

__Education__ Despite the struggles he faced everyday at home, he excelled in school. He won prizes in both history and English and graduated with honors from Los Angeles 30th Street Intermediate School. In high school he was an active member of the debate team and a talented athlete. In 1922 he graduated from Jefferson High School, as the valedictorian of his class, with a scholarship from the University of California (now UCLA).

During college, he supported himself by working a variety of jobs, including a janitorial job after school and spending summers on a merchant ship. Along with work, Bunche also managed to play varsity basketball, run the debate team, lead student council, write for the campus newspaper and continue to be an outstanding student. After graduating as a valedictorian, he was awarded a scholarship to Harvard where he earned a Masters of Arts degree. He was later offered the Thayer Fellowship to continue his studies for a Ph.D, which he turned down for a job at Howard University. In 1934 he took a break from teaching, and became the first person of color to earn a Ph.D in political science at an American University.

__Career__ From 1928 to 1950, Bunche worked at Howard University, where he set up a political science department. He taught at Harvard for two years in 1950 and served as a member of the New York City Board of Education, Board of Overseers of Harvard University, the Board of Institute of International Education as well as a trustee of Oberlin College, Lincoln University and New Lincoln School.

As well as staying close to education, Bunche also conducted personal studies, served in World War II, worked for the U.N. and supported the civil rights movement. In 1936, he traveled to Africa to conduct a postdoctoral research in anthropology. Over the next 20 months, he worked at the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of Capetown and studied Swahili with the future first president of independent Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta.

During WWII, Bunche served in the Office of Strategic Services (which later became the CIA) as a senior social analyst. In 1943 he moved on to State Department, which lead up to his work with the U.N.

__Work With the U.N.__ In 1947 Bunche served as an assistant to the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. He traveled to the Middle East to aide Swedish Count Folke Bernadotte in mediating the Arab-Israeli conflict. Later that year Bernadotte was assassinated by an underground group in Jerusalem. After the assassination, Bunche took over mediation, and eventually negotiated a truce in 1949. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for his work. He was the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

__Personal Life__ In 1930, Bunche married Ruth Ethel Harris, a teacher from Washington D.C. who had taken one of his night classes. They had three children together; Joan Harris Bunche (1931), Jane Johnson Bunche (1933) and Ralph Johnson Bunche Jr. (1943). Because of his successes, Bunche spent long periods of time away from home, which eventually ended his marriage after 41 years.

Bunche injured himself playing football at UCLA, which resulted in a permanent blood clot in his left leg. He was also deaf in his left ear because of a punctured eardrum.

__Honors__ - In 1951 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the 1949 Armistice Agreements. - In 1951 he was given the Silver Buffalo Award from the National Boy Scouts of America for his positive impact on the world. - In 1963 he received the Medal of Honor from president John F. Kennedy. - The United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a stamp in his honor in 1982. - A library in the Harry S. Truman Building was renamed the Ralph J. Bunche Library. - In 1996 Howard university named its international affairs center after him. - In 2004 he was honored with the William J. Donovan award from the OSS Society. - A bust of Bunche at the entrance of Bunche Hall, overlooks the sculpture garden at UCLA. - There are also 3 middle schools, a high school, 2 parks and a beach named after him. - His childhood home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Los Angeles Historical-Cultural Landmarks and was fully restored in 2002.

__Why He's Important__ Bunche was the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize as well as one of the most prominent black leaders of his time. He helped change the world, even when it didn't accept him. 20 years before the civil rights movement, he was unable to ride the same bus or eat at the same restaurants as his white co-workers. Despite this, he worked hard trying to make the world more peaceful and was a powerful leader. He was successful and looked up to by many.