George Eugene “Gene” England Jr., was born on 22 July 1933 in Logan, Utah to Dora Rose Hartvigsen and George Eugene England. He grew up in Downey, Idaho, working on a wheat farm. On 22 December 1953, Gene England married Charlotte Anne Hawkins; together, they had six children. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the newly married couple served a mission in Samoa in 1954.

England graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English in 1958. He served briefly as a captain in the United States Air Force, and received a Special Graduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1959. England entered graduate school at Stanford University on a Danforth Fellowship. He received his Masters in 1969 and Ph.D. in 1974. While at Stanford, in 1966, England cofounded (with Wesley Johnson) Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, an independent Mormon studies journal. While attending Stanford, England taught at California State College at Hayward and at the LDS Institute of Religion.

In 1970, England took a position as Dean of Academic Affairs and teach at St. Olaf Lutheran College in Northfield, Minnesota. England was forced out of his contract in 1975, after some parents complained that their children were showing interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That same year he moved back to Utah and applied to both the University of Utah and Brigham Young University English Departments, but was not hired. For two years, England focused on writing, worked in the LDS Church Archives, and teaching at the Salt Lake and Ogden LDS Institutes of Religion. In 1976, he cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters. In 1977, Englaned was hired at Brigham Young University (BYU).

While at BYU, England taught classes in Mormon and American Literature. He also helped expand the Freshman Live Learn experiences, the Honors Program, and started Theatre Study Abroad in London. England was Distinguished Honors Professor of the Year in 1982 and also received the Karl G. Maeser Teaching Award. England helped with the restructuring of the student government at BYU to help it become a service organization. He was also the advisor for off-campus newspapers, including Seventh East Press and the Student Review. During his time at BYU, England published most of his books and writings, including many of his personal essays. He continued to participate in Dialogue and publish in Sunstone. England was affiliated with many other associations, including: the International Shakespeare Association, Modern Language Association, Mormon History Association, Philological Association of the Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, Shakespeare Association of America, and the Western Literature Association.

During the 1980s, issues with academic freedom arose at BYU and England spoke out, challenging the administration and calling the faculty and students to action. After twenty-two years of teaching at BYU, England retired from his position in 1998, at a time when a number of liberal professors were being dismissed. England still wanted to be involved in creating a space for students and teachers to ask the hard questions, especially concerning religion and ethics. England began to teach at Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) in 1998, and was asked to be the Writer in Residence. During his brief tenure at UVSC, England helped start a Mormon Studies Program, the first of its kind, which was attached to the college's Religious Studies program. He was in the process of developing the Center for the Study of Mormon Culture when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Gene England died on 17 August 2001.

Based on a biography written by Charlotte Hansen, “Obituary: George Eugene England,” Deseret News, August 20, 2001, and biographical writings from at www.eugeneengland.org