He attended Grafton Public School and King's School, Parramatta, and then trained in the law with F.
McGuren at Grafton.
In 1917, the year he was admitted as a solicitor, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force as a private in the 15th Field Ambulance.
In 1919 he established a legal practice in Sydney, and on 27 November 1920 he married Flora Isabel Stewart in Auckland, New Zealand, with whom he would have a son.
In 1931 Henry was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Country Party member for Clarence, serving until 1938.