John Dierking was born in Topeka, Kansas, attended the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri, received a BA in Business Administration, served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, received a Juris Doctor in law, practiced law in Guam and the Marianas, and is a retired Full Professor of Law and Public Administration of the University of Guam. He holds Masters Degrees in Theology, English and Art and has studied painting and printing at the Kansas City Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received a Certificate in Painting in 2015.