Hugh Williamson was born of pioneering stock in Ballarat, Victoria, on 4 February 1901. At 16 he joined the Ballarat Banking Company, resigning a year later to join the Bank of Australasia, the organisation where he would spend most of his working life.

By the age of 22, after working in Warrnambool, Traralgon and Wycheproof, Hugh Williamson qualified as an accountant. A year later, he was transferred to the inspectors' department of the bank. In 1928, he was appointed the youngest manager of the Bank of Australasia and opened its Dandenong branch. Eight years later, he was promoted to manager in Townsville, with responsibility for eight regional branches. He moved to New Zealand as an inspecting officer, managed an Auckland branch and, on return to Melbourne, became chief inspector.

In October 1951, the Bank of Australasia merged with the Union Bank of Australia Limited to become the ANZ Bank. Hugh Williamson was appointed its chief inspector. Three years later, he was made assistant general manager and then general manager, a position he held until his retirement in June 1961. Hugh Williamson also maintained a steady, stimulating and profitable interest in the sharemarket, the money from which he used in typically generous ways. This stemmed from his strong religious and moral sensibilities and a desire to help the community.

He enjoyed a full and active life in retirement, channelling his energies into community work. A founding Trustee of the William Buckland Foundation, established in 1966, he also worked closely with the Victorian Arts Centre Trust as its honorary treasurer. He funded the Hugh Williamson Room, which occupies a significant space within the Arts Centre.

Always farsighted, Hugh Williamson established his Foundation well before his death in 1985, personally appointing the trustees who still have responsibility for the Hugh Williamson Foundation today.