George Bunn, one of the world’s most important and influential advocates for a world without nuclear weapons passed away on Sunday April 21 at the age of 87.
Ambassador Bunn was one of the chief architects of the global nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament system. Beginning in the early days of nuclear arms control in the 1960s, he helped draft the legislation that created the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and became the agency’s first general counsel. Bunn helped to negotiate the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of global effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to eventually eliminate them.
He later became the U.S. ambassador to the Geneva Disarmament Conference, and taught at the U.S. Naval War College, the University of Wisconsin Law School, and was a professor at Stanford's Center for International Security and Arms Control. He served on the Board of Directors of the Arms Control Association in its early days and was a life-long friend and mentor for many members of the staff and Board of Directors of the organization.
A tribute to George Bunn will appear in the June issue of Arms Control Today. A memorial service will be held this summer in Palo Alto, California.
Bunn is survived by his daughter Jessie, his sons Matthew and Peter, and his grandchildren Claire and Nina. The family is asking that memorial contributions be made to the Arms Control Association.
Contributions in his honor can be made online here.