He was the son of Hans Hendrickse, a Beverwyck trader,[2] and Eva Gillis de Meyer Hansen.
[1] Hansen was a prominent landholder and trader who inherited substantial property from his father.
[1][3] In 1698, he was appointed the fifth Mayor of Albany, New York, succeeding Dirck Wesselse Ten Broeck.
[1] In 1699, he was elected to represent Albany in the New York General Assembly, serving five terms until his death in 1724.
[1] Through his eldest daughter Debora, he was the grandfather of Albany mayor Johannes Jacobse Beeckman (1733–1802).