Hanson arrived in Sydney in 1853, and soon afterwards found employment with the printing firm Reading and Wellbank. In March 1854, he was then appointed as New South Wales Government Printer, a position which he held until May 1859, when, together with
Samuel Bennett (q.v.), he purchased Henry Parkes's then defunct newspaper, the
Empire. His partnership with Bennett at the
Empire lasted for some eight years until July 1867, when he was in effect forced to step down by the newspaper's creditors. In the following years Hanson unsuccessfully sought election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, contesting the seats of Goldfields North (1868) and Canterbury (1869-70). During the 1870s he spent a brief period at Tenterfield (possibly at the
Tenterfield Star), before returning to live in Sydney. Later in life he became well known for his philanthropic interests. He was also the author of
Pastoral Possessions of New South Wales (1889) and the
Geographical Encyclopaedia of New South Wales (1892).
