Hans Janos Kende was born in 1937 in Hungary. His father was sent to a forced-labor camp in 1941, where he died in 1943. In 1944, Kende and his mother were part of a group of thirty from their neighborhood who were sent to Bergen-Belsen for over six months, until they were rescued in December 1944. Kende was separated from his mother but eventually allowed to re-join her in Zurich in 1947. Kende married Gabriele Guggenheim in 1960. They had three children, Benny, Michael, and Judi, and several grandchildren. Kende died on September 26, 2006.

Kende received his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich in 1960 for his research on the biosynthesis of trigonellin in the coffee plant. Focusing on the biosynthesis and the mode of action of plant hormones throughout his career, Kende's research included topics like gibberellin biosynthesis in fungus, the roles of cytokinin and ethylene in leaf senescence, ACC synthase, plant hormone receptors like the ethylene receptor, and the semi-aquatic deepwater rice.

For his work, Kende received numerous recognitions during his career including being elected to the German Academy of Natural Sciences, Leopoldina (1985), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990) and the National Academy of Science, USA (1992). He was the recipient of an University Distinguished Professorship at Michigan State University (1990) and the Stephen Hales Prize from the American Society of Plant Physiologists (1998).

A detailed biographical memoir was written by Jan A. D. Zeevaart and Maarten J. Chrispeels and is available online from the National Academy of Sciences.