A native of Kewgardens, New York, Henry Hanson graduated from The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1965, he joined Leon County as head of the engineering department and was later selected by the Board of County Commissioners as the first County Administrator on October 1, 1969. He continued to serve in both roles before resigning from the County in September 1970 to pursue an engineering career in the private sector.
He was the Leon County Director of Public Works when he was appointed to the County Administrator position again by the Board, serving from 1977-1979.
During his time as County Administrator, he worked to make government more accessible to the public.