After graduating in 1937, John Steiger served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Steiger graduated from Stanford University in 1950. He was elected to the Oceanside City Council in 1968 and served as Vice-Mayor until 1972. Steiger was the Oceanside representative to the San Diego County Association of Governments (SANDAG) from 1968 to 1972. He served as SANDAG chairman from 1971 to 1972. Steiger was president of the Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation, which founded the Oceanside Museum of Art and established Oceanside’s Days of Art Celebration. He was instrumental in establishing the Oceanside Advisory Council to support the Oceanside Carlsbad College now known as MiraCosta Community College.