Herschel Bullen Jr. was born November 13, 1870 in Richmond, Utah to Herschel Sr. and Emma Boston Gibbs Bullen. In 1890 he graduated from the University of Deseret (now University of Utah) with a teaching degree. From 1891-1892, Bullen worked as a teacher in the common schools of Cache Valley. On April 11, 1894, Bullen married Mary Hendricks and later had five children: Herschel Keith, Lavona, Helen, Reed, and Thurlow (Tad). In 1894, a few months after Bullen's marriage, he was called to serve for two years as a missionary in England for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon his return to Utah in 1896, Bullen became highly involved with the Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah, teaching religion, bookkeeping, commercial law, and serving as the secretary and treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Brigham Young College until 1909.

During this time period, Bullen's political activity increased as he founded the Logan Republican with Congressman Joseph Howell. Bullen served as a state senator in the 1907 and 1909 sessions of the Utah General Assembly, assisted Joseph Howell in various political campaigns, was a delegate in the 1904 and 1928 national Republican conventions, and served as chairman of the Cache County Republican Central Committee. In 1909 he was involved in the formation of the Promontory-Curlew Land Law Company along with Joseph Howell, David Eccles, and other prominent businessmen of northern Utah. This company owned over 400,000 acres of land in Box Elder County, Utah and southern Idaho, and Bullen acted as secretar-manager, and treasurer until its dissolution in 1959. In addition, Bullen was also involved in numerous real estate ventures, insurance, broadcasting, and was managing director of the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Logan. Other positions held by Bullen were: president of the Utah Savings & Loan League, president of the Utah State Reality Association, director of the Logan Chamber of Commerce, president of the Logan Rotary Club, president of the Logan Oratorio Society, president of the Logan City Board of Education (1900-1904), and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Utah State Agricultural College during 1949 and 1953. Herschel Bullen Jr. died on February 2, 1966 at the age of 96.