Okuda, Henry Heiji.

Businessman and civic leader of Seattle, Washington.

Henry Okuda was born in Japan in 1867. He came to the U.S. in 1895 and moved to Seattle in 1898, where he was active in community and civic affairs. He founded and became president of the Oriental Express Company, a transfer and storage business which was a common carrier of freight in Seattle until it ceased operation on December 8, 1941. He was also president of Okuda and Shibagaki (Importers and Exporters), and helped organize Hokubei Butokukai (North American Fencing Club), an athletic and social club for young Japanese-Americans. It ceased to be a viable organization after the outbreak of World War II, and on December 8, 1941, Okuda was detained as an enemy alien and taken to a detention camp in Missoula, Montana. He was paroled April 10, 1942 and in June went to Spokane, Washington. On October 15 he was allowed to join his family at Granada W.R.A. Project, Amache, Colorado. He was released in September 1945 and was eventually allowed to return to Seattle.