Bunche, Ralph Johnson (1904–1971)

US diplomat. He was principal director of the United Nations Department of Trusteeship 1948–54 and UN undersecretary 1955–67, acting as mediator in Palestine 1948–49 and as special representative in the Congo in 1960. He became UN undersecretary general in 1968. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1950 for negotiating the Arab-Israel truce of 1949.

Bunche was born in Detroit, the grandson of a slave, and educated at California and Harvard universities. He taught at Harvard and Howard universities and was involved in the planning of the UN. In 1950 he became professor of government at Harvard.