We present a pilot study of the stellar populations of eight active galactic nucleus (AGN) hosts at z ~ 1 and compare with (1) lower redshift samples and (2) a sample of nonactive galaxies of similar redshift. We utilize K' images in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey South field obtained with the laser guide star adaptive optics system at Keck Observatory. We combine these K' data with B, V, i, and z imaging from the Advanced Camera for Surveys on Hubble Space Telescope to give multicolor photometry at a matched spatial resolution better than 100 mas in all bands. The hosts harbor AGNs as inferred from their high X-ray luminosities (LX > 10^42 erg s^–1) or mid-IR colors. We find a correlation between the presence of younger stellar populations and the strength of the AGN, as measured with [O III] line luminosity or X-ray (2-10 keV) luminosity. This finding is consistent with similar studies at lower redshift. Of the three Type II galaxies, two are disk galaxies and one is of irregular type, while in the Type I sample there are only one disk-like source and four sources with smooth, elliptical/spheroidal morphologies. In addition, the mid-IR spectral energy distributions of the strong Type II AGNs indicate that they are excited to Luminous InfraRed Galaxy (LIRG) status via galactic starbursting, while the strong Type I AGNs are excited to LIRG status via hot dust surrounding the central AGN. This supports the notion that the obscured nature of Type II AGNs at z ~ 1 is connected with global starbursting and that they may be extincted by kpc-scale dusty features that are by-products of this starbursting
