George Deukmejian,A native New Yorker, Deukmejian earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology from Siena College in 1949 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from St. John's University in 1952. After graduating from St. John's, he served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955, assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps.