Frank H. Ogawa
 Photo of Frank H. Ogawa
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| Frank H. Ogawa | |
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| City Councilmember, Oakland, California | |
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In office 1966–1994 |
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| Succeeded by | Henry Chang, Jr. |
| Member, Oakland Park Commission | |
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In office 1961–1966 |
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| Member, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission | |
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In office 1972–1988 |
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| Member, Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board | |
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In office January 1979 – December 1992 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hirao Ogawa May 17, 1917 Lodi, California |
| Died | July 13, 1994 (aged 77) Oakland, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Grace Ogawa (née Hiruma) |
| Children | Alan and Nancy |
| Occupation | Nursery operator |
Frank Hirao Ogawa (May 17, 1917 – July 13, 1994) was a civil rights leader and the first Japanese American to serve on the Oakland City Council, of which he was a member from 1966 until his death in 1994. Upon his death, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to rename City Hall Plaza in his honor as Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. The plaza displays a bronze bust of Ogawa.
A Nisei, Ogawa was born in Lodi, California and never lived in Japan. Nevertheless, as Japanese Americans, Ogawa's family members were involuntarily relocated by the U.S. government to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Millard County, Utah; they were detained there for the duration of World War II. Ogawa married Grace Ogawa (née Hiruma) prior to their wartime detention and they had two children, Alan and Nancy. Nancy was born in the Topaz War Relocation Center but died at age 2.
After the war, Ogawa returned to Oakland where he found work as a gardener. Eventually, he borrowed and saved enough money to open his own nursery.
When Ogawa died, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, in her Tribute to Frank H. Ogawa, said:
"Frank Ogawa was a remarkable person because he could take personal misfortune and turn it into a positive learning experience for himself and others. When Frank and Grace Ogawa were forced to sell their belongings and live in internment camps during World War II, they had to sleep on straw mattresses in horse stalls for six months before being shipped to a camp in Utah to spend another 3 1/2 years in confinement. Despite this mistreatment and injustice, he never lost faith in the United States. Just the opposite--he strived to prove his loyalty to his country and became an internationally recognized champion of Asian-Americans in the process."
She went on to say
"Having served five years on the Oakland Parks Commission, Frank Ogawa was elected to the city council in 1966, making him the first Japanese-American to hold a council seat in a major city in the continental United States. He held that position for 28 years until his passing -- the longest tenure in Oakland's history."
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Wikipedia