Born in California of Japanese parents, John F. Aiso faced prejudice in his schooling due to widespread anti-Japanese sentiment, including being asked to resign as the district winner of a national oratorical contest on the Constitution. He initially enrolled in college locally, but after a visit to the Japanese Ambassador, who recommended him to President Faunce, he transferred to Brown. He graduated from Brown with honors, went on to Harvard Law School and during World War II was the highest-ranking Japanese-American in the U.S. Army. Aiso went on to serve as the Presiding Judge of the Appellate Department of the Superior Court of California.