Ralph Bunche (1904-1971) was an American political scientist, academic, and diplomat. Bunche attended UCLA and completed his graduate work at Harvard University, where he received his master's degree and a doctorate in political science. He was the first African American to gain a Ph.D. in political science from an American University. His first book “World View of Race” was published in 1936 after which he conducted his postdoctoral research in anthropology at the London School of Economics and the University of Cape Town. Bunche worked as a senior social analyst on Colonial Affairs at the Office of Strategic Services. He was appointed Associate Chief of the Division of Dependent Area Affairs. Bunche traveled to the Middle East as the chief aide to Sweden's Count Folke Bernadotte. After Bernadotte’s assassination, Bunche became the U.N.'s chief mediator. In 1950 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fulfilling the 1949 Armistice Agreements. He was the first African American to receive such an award.