Henry Mauger London was born on April 11, 1879 in Pittsboro, North Carolina. A lawyer by training, London practiced law in Pittsboro, from 1903 until 1913, when accepted a position as chief deputy collector for the Internal Revenue Service. He had a brief political career, serving as Chatham County's representative in the state house in 1907-1908 and in the state senate in 1911. In 1919, he succeeded W. S. Wilson as legislative reference librarian, a position he held until his death on December 30, 1939.