Having risen from an apprenticeship in the drapery business to partnership in the firm, he began his railroad activities in 1827 by investing a £30,000 bequest in North Midland Railway shares. Hudson helped obtain passage of an act of Parliament to raise capital for the York and North Midland Railway, of which he subsequently became chairman.

Also active politically, he served as deputy lieutenant for Durham and three times as lord mayor of York. By 1844 he controlled more than 1,000 miles of railway and the following year won election as a Conservative member of Parliament for Sunderland. With railway speculation at its height, Hudson became involved in fraud concerning the Eastern Counties Railway and upon exposure lost influence and fortune at a single stroke. The rest of his life was spent mainly in litigation and efforts to operate financially outside of England.