He was born at Mendon, Ohio, August 10, 1862, son of John Milton Hussey and Mary Catherine Stevens.

He attended the Valparaiso Normal School in 1880 and completed the scientific curriculum with a specialization in education in one year.

During a three-year hiatus from his education he worked as a principal of the schools at Ohio Station, Illinois.

After graduating with a BS in civil engineering from the University of Michigan in 1889, he served as assistant in the Nautical Almanac Office of Washington.

His amazing efficiency is demonstrated by these numbers: he made 1,920 observations in one year, with a record of 80 in one night.

Hussey often argued against any developments around the Observatory to protect it from anything that could disrupt observations, such as dirt, dust, and light.

On his way to install a new telescope in South Africa, Hussey died unexpectedly in London, England on October 28, 1926.