Ralph Bunche
| Famous as | American Political Scientist and Diplomat |
| Born on | 07 August 1903 |
| Born in | Detroit, Michigan |
| Died on | 09 December 1971 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Works & Achievements | Nobel Peace Prize (1950); Known For: Formation and Administration of the United Nations |
Childhood and Early Life
Ralph Bunche was born on 7 August 1903, in Detroit to a barber father and a musician mother.
His family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the hope that the poor
health of his parents would improve in the dry climate. His parents died
two years later, and Ralph, along with his two sisters, was raised by
his grandmother. There Ralph supported his family’s hard pressed finance
by selling news papers, working for a carpet laying firm and taking any
odd job he could find. Bunche as
a child was a brilliant student, debater and valedictorian of his
graduating class at Jefferson High School.
He attended the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated
summa cum laude in 1927. With a scholarship granted by Harvard
University and a fund of a thousand dollars raised by the black
community of Los Angeles, he went to study at Harvard. There he earned a
master’s degree in political science in 1928 and a doctorate in 1934,
where he was already teaching in the department of Political Science.
From 1934 to 1938, on a Social Science Research Council Fellowship, he
did post doctoral research in anthropology at Northwestern University,
the London School of Economics, and Cape Town University in South
Africa.
Career
Ralph maintained strong ties with education throughout his life and
remained an avid learner. He chaired the Department of Political
Science at Harvard University from 1928 until 1950, where he lived in
the Brook land neighborhood of Washington,
D.C., and was a member of the American Federation of Teachers affiliate
at Harvard. He then served as a member of the New York City Board of
Education from 1958 to 1964 and as a member of the Board of Overseers of
Harvard University for 5 years, beginning from 1960. Bunche was a
trustee of Oberlin College, Lincoln University, and New Lincoln School.
In 1936 Bunche authored a book entitled A World View of Race, in
which his view on War on Race. From 1936 to 1940 Bunche served as
contributing editor of the journal Science and Society. During World War
II, Bunche served the Office of Strategic Services as senior social
analyst on Colonial Affairs before joining the State Department in 1943,
where he was appointed Associate Chief of the division of Dependent
Area Affairs under Alger Hiss. With Hiss, Bunche became one of the
leaders of the Institute of the Pacific Relation (IPR). He had a leading
role in the formation of the United Nations in 1945.
United Nations and Palestine
Towards the end of the World War II, Bunche actively participated
in the preliminary planning for the United Nations and became an adviser
to the U.S. delegation for the “Charter Conference” of the United
Nations held in 1945. Ralph Bunche also had an important role in the
creation and adoption of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. According
to the United Nations documents, “He championed the principle of equal
rights for everyone, regardless of race and creed.”
In the year 1947, Bunche became involved with the Arab- Israeli
Conflict. He served as assistant to the United Nations Special Committee
on Palestine. In 1948, he traveled to the Middle East as the chief aid
to Count Folke Bernadotte, who had been appointed by the U.N. to mediate
the conflict. After the assassination of Bernadotte, Bunche became the
chief mediator and after eleven months of incessant negotiation, he
accomplished the task with the signing of the 1949 Armistice agreements-
the work for which he was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.
Thereafter, he continued to work for the people, who had not yet
attained self-government and became the undersecretary-general in year
1968.
A Prominent African American
Ralph Bunche had always been active in the Civil Rights Movement in
the United States, though he never held an important position in the
group. He criticized both America’s social system and the established
Negro organization, but generally he is thought of as a moderate. From
his experience as co-director of the Institute of Race Relations at
Swarthmore College in 1936, he authored the book “A World View of Race.”
He was a member of the Black Cabinet and helped to lead the Civil
rights March led by Martin Luther King, in Montgomery, in 1965. In his
view, racial prejudice is an unreasoned phenomenon without scientific
basis in biology or anthropology; segregation and democracy are
incompatible.” He believed that democracy is color blind.
Death and Honors
Bunche died in 1971 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the
Bronx. He was 68 at the time of his death. In 1951, Bunche was awarded
the Silver Buffalo Award by the National Boy Scouts of America
for his work in scouting and positive impact for the world. On 12
January, a United States postage stamp was issued in the memory of Dr.
Bunche. The Ralph Bunche Library, founded by the first secretary of the
State, in 1978, is the oldest Federal government library. Apart from these, many schools, parks and research centers are named after him.
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Timeline: | ||||
1903- Ralph Bunche was born on 7 August 1903.
1928- He earned a master’s degree in political science from Harvard University.
1934- He earned a doctorate degree from Harvard University.
1928- He chaired the Department of Political Science at Harvard University until 1950.
1958- He served as a member of the New York City Board of Education from 1958 to 1964.
1945- He was adviser to the U.S. delegation for the “Charter Conference” of the United Nations.
1947- Bunche became involved with the Arab- Israeli conflict.
1948- He traveled to the Middle East as the chief aid to Count Folke Bernadotte.
1949- Armistice agreements were signed.
1950- Bunche was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.
1963- He received ‘Medal of Freedom’ from President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
1965- He took part in Civil rights March led by Martin Luther King, in Montgomery.
1968- He became the undersecretary-general in year 1968.
1971- Ralph Bunche died.
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