James Gerard Masterson was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised and educated in Davenport, IA. After attending St, Alphonsus Catholic elementary school, he spent one and a half years in the Redemptorist Seminary, ST. Joseph's College, in Kirkwood, Mo before transferring to and graduating from Assumption high school in Davenport. He attended the State University if Iowa for a semester and enlisted in the Navy as a Nuclear Filed Electronics Technician, eventually rising to Master Chief Electronics Technician and served aboard Nuclear Submarines. He received a commission as a "Mustang" Ensign and retired from Naval Service after 32 years as a Lieutenant Commander. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration from Upper Iowa University and a Masters Degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University. He worked in Civil Service for the Department of the Navy in Special Projects for over twenty years and retired in Lexington Park, MD.