Henry F. Perley was born in 1831 in St. John, New Brunswick.

He was a Canadian surveyor and engineer who worked during the later part of the 19th century. Perley attended King's College of Engineering, which is now known as the University of New Brunswick in Canada. He entered public service in 1848 and was employed until the summer of 1852, focusing on exploratory surveys for a proposed system of railroads.
In the fall of 1852, he began working for Messrs. Petto, Betts, and Brassy, conducting surveys in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He remained with this firm until 1856, during which time he contributed to the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway. After leaving the firm in 1856, he took on the role of Resident Engineer for the European and North American Railway between St. John and Shediac, a position he held until the line's completion in 1860.

Perley engaged in private practice from 1861 to 1863. In May 1863, he joined the Government of Nova Scotia as a Provincial Engineer, a role he maintained until August 1865, when he resigned to work with Messrs. Kelk, Waring Brothers, and Lucas, contractors for the construction of the Metropolitan Extension (underground) Railway in London, England. Following the successful completion of this project, Perley returned to New Brunswick to oversee improvements to the freight facilities of the provincial government railways and the construction of the deep-water terminus and extension line at St. John. In May 1872, Perley was appointed as the engineer in charge of harbours and related projects in the Maritime Provinces for the Department of Public Works. He held this position until the end of 1879, when he was named Chief Engineer of Public Works. Perley retired in 1891 but was soon reemployed by the Department of Public Works as an engineer, a position he held until his death. Among his notable contributions, he served as Chief Engineer for the 800-meter St. Peter's Canal on Cape Breton Island and designed the dry dock in Kingston, Ontario, as well as various docks in British Columbia, among many other important Canadian engineering projects.

He died on July 15, 1897.