Eugene Davidson Priest was born in Lott, Falls County, Texas, on January 19, 1903.

After Priest graduated from Lott High School, he attended several institutes before graduating from Baylor University in 1925. Of the institutes, he attended Southwest Teachers College, University of Texas, Northwestern University, and Sam Houston Normal Institue.

At SHNI, Priest received a Normal High School diploma, a Teachers Elementary Certificate, and a Teachers Temporary Certificate in 1922. In 1923, he received two Teacher Temporary Certificates, a Teachers Permanent Certificate, and a diploma from SHNI. He was a part of the Dramatic Club.

On July 10, 1943, Eugene Davidson Priest married Leta Katherine Inman in Rosenberg, Texas.

Priest served in the military during World War II. Based on the manila folder within the collection, Priest was at least a 2nd Lieutenant in the military. In 1947, he moved to Abilene, Texas from Japan.

Priest was a Collecting Agent for the Internal Revenue Service for thirty-five years. He received the IRS Outstanding Collection Officer Award for the Southwest. He was also a teacher in Putnam, Texas, a coach and principal in Cross Plains, Texas, and an accountant.

Eugene Davidson Priest, 78, died in Abilene, Texas, on August 2, 1981, from a long illness. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Victory Bible Class.