[note 1] Hoesein, nicknamed 'Ace', was born on 8 December 1886 in Kramatwatu, a subdistrict of Serang, a Regency within the Residency of Banten, Dutch East Indies.

[5] In late 1880s, the family was introduced to Snouck Hurgronje, an accomplished scholar and advisor for the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies.

[2] He went to learn Dutch at Leidsche Gymnasium for a year, then enrolled as a student at Leiden University, attending lectures on ethnography, cultures, and native Indonesian languages.

[5] Since 1935 he worked as manuscript conservator at the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences (Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen).

Alongside them was his younger brother Loekman, who would serve in the Dutch East Indies Government-in-Exile in Australia as commissioner and later head of the education department.

[10] Around this time, he was involved in Indonesian national movement, later became a member for the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (Badan Penyelidik Usaha-usaha Persiapan kemerdekaan) or BPUPK.

During the drafting of the would-be Indonesian 1945 Constitution, he served in the Vocabulary Committee (Komisi Penghalus Bahasa), alongside Agus Salim and Soepomo.

[12] His younger brother Hilman, who succeeded Achmad as Regent of Serang in 1935 (later served as well as Japanese-appointed Resident of Banten from 1941 to 1945) became active in West Javan politics, as he led the pro-Dutch, federalist faction in the State of Pasundan.

Later in 1957 he became the general director of – and member of the Vocabulary Commission (Komisi Istilah) at – the Language and Culture Office (Lembaga Bahasa dan Budaya) under the Faculty of Letters, serving until his death in 1960.

This office would transformed into the Language Development and Fostering Agency (Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa) currently subordinated under the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

[5][6] On 13 August 2015, President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo posthumously awarded Hoesein the Bintang Budaya Paramadharma for his service to the state as a pioneer in Indonesian scientific tradition.