John K. Konenkamp was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of eight children. After spending a good deal of his childhood in New York, his family moved to Georgia. Living in the Jim Crow South had a great impact on young Konenkamp. He attended the University of Georgia from 1963-1967, majoring in History. After college, he joined the United States Navy, serving for four years. He met his wife during his Navy service, who eventually brought him to South Dakota and even predicted that he would be a judge someday. Konenkamp attended the University of South Dakota, School of Law, and graduated in 1974. He practiced in Rapid City as a Deputy State’s Attorney until 1977, then engaged in private practice until 1984 when he was appointed Circuit Judge. In May 1988, he became Presiding Judge of the Seventh Circuit. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994 by former Governor Miller after ten years on the trial bench and was retained by the voters in the 1998 and 2006 general elections. Justice Konenkamp and his wife have two children and were also former foster parents for the Department of Social Services.