Eugene Lindsey Bishop was born in Davidson County, graduated from Vanderbilt University Medical School in 1914, and served his internship at St. Thomas Hospital. His connection with public health work dates from 1916 at which time he was appointed a field director of the State Board of Health. As such he saw service in Lincoln, Jackson, DeKalb and Maury Counties until September of 1918 when he became Director of Rural Sanitation, succeeding Dr. Olin West who had been made Secretary of the State Board of Health.

In 1992 he was awarded an International Health Board Fellowship, the first received in the state, and spent the scholastic year 1922-1923 in postgraduate study at the School of Hygiene and Public Health of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. On the completion of his course of study in June 1923, he was awarded the Certificate in Public Health.

He immediately resumed connection with the State Department of Public Health as Director of the Division of Rural Sanitation and Assistant Commissioner, the post he held until he was appointed Commissioner by Governor Austin Peay in December of 1924, following the resignation of Dr. Crittenden.