Floreine Herron Hudson was born in Columbus, Georgia on July 5, 1916, the daughter of William F. Herron and Laura Belle Battley. The name Floreine was given to her because her mother liked the waltz Floreine. She was educated in the Columbus pubic schools and graduated from the Georgia State College for Women in 1936, receiving a Bachelor of Science in General Science with a minor in Mathematics. She began her teaching career in Harris County, Georgia at Mountain Hill School, where she taught mathematics and commercial subjects. She transferred to Muscogee County school in 1940 and remained there until 1956. Her teaching included mathematics and commercial subjects. She was the principal at Tillinghurst School for two years and Rosemont for seven years. She received a Master of Science in Education in 1945 from Alabama Polytechnic Institute with a major in education administration and supervision. She attained her Doctorate in Education from Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1957, becoming the first woman to do so.

Her first husband, Luther Ray was killed in November 1943 in an Air Force training accident. She married in June 1947 James Hood Hudson. They had no children.

After graduating with her PhD, she worked as an elementary principal in DeKalb County, Georgia and later as an instructional supervisor there. She spent thirteen years as an Associate Professor and Professor at Georgia State University and retired there as Professor Emeritus.

Her husband died in 2002 after 55 years of marriage. Floreine died at the age of 102 in 2018.