Ralph Johnson Bunche (pronounced /bʌntʃ/ BUNCH; August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and a prominent figure in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and the US civil rights movement. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for his mediation efforts in Israel during the late 1940s, making him the first black Nobel laureate and the first person of African descent to receive a Nobel Prize. Bunche was instrumental in the formation and early administration of the United Nations (UN) and played a significant role in the decolonization process, as well as in numerous UN peacekeeping operations.