Eugene Shelley Browning was born on October 9, 1883 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He attended Lincoln University, dedicated to the higher education of African Americans, chartered in 1854 as the Ashmun Institute, changing its name to Lincoln University in 1866. He attended the University of Michigan and the Detroit Medical College, graduating in 1905, the only African American in a class of 54 students. He continued his education throughout his career studying for brief periods in Chicago, New York and at the University of Vienna, Austria, gaining expertise in urology and dermatology

He moved to Grand Rapids in 1906 and began his medical practice with offices located in the Powers Theater building. He broke racial barriers by obtaining admitting privileges in Grand Rapids hospitals. During World War I Dr. Browning taught Red Cross medical training classes. In 1923, Browning opened the Master's Clinic for infants in First Community AME Church, and he donated his time to give physical exams to children attending summer camps in the area.

Frequently asked to be a speaker on health issues at public events, he also lectured at the Grand Rapids Medical College. He was the first African American to serve on the Michigan State Board of Health.

In 1918, Eugene married Gertrude Corbin, daughter of Thomas and Eliza Corbin. They had four children, Kathryn E (Jeffries), Jean C. (Johnson), Shelley May, and Eugene S., Jr., raised in a home at 637 Franklin SE. It was in that home that Dr. Browning died in 1955, shortly after receiving his golden diploma, along with sixteen other members of the class of 1905, from his alma mater, now named Wayne State University College of Medicine.