Eugene was born on March 12, 1954, in Orangeburg, South California, USA as the son of Harold I and Louisa Robinson.
Talking about his education, the newspaper columnist graduated from Orangeburg High School. Later, he attended the University of Michigan, where he was the co-editor-in-chief of the award-winning student newspaper, The Michigan Daily.
After college, Eugene joined The Washington Post in 1980 as a City Hall reporter, and until 1984, he was promoted to city editor.
During the 1987-1988 academic year, he studied Journalism at Harvard University, taking leave from The Washington Post.
