Hendrickson was born June 18, 1896, in Juneau, Alaska, where he grew up the son of Finnish immigrants.

[4] After this, he served in the U.S. military during World War I, and was en route to France before the armistice was signed.

In this role, he helped the city gain the power to levy and use sales tax, which had not been enforced before, leading to a lack of funding for Juneau.

After statehood Hendrickson served on several government commissions, as well as chairing the Interior Department's Alaska Field Committee, and the Juneau office of the Bureau of Land Management.

[4] After his retirement, Hendrickson went to live with his daughter in Anchorage, Alaska, and spent the rest of his life with her until he died in 1983, at the age of 87.