Among the many Austrians who have cast their lot with the people of Cottonwood county is Theodore Kintzi, a successful merchant of the town of Westbrook. He was born in Austria, October 10, 1868, and is a son of John and Katherine (Bergthold) Kintzi, both natives of Austria, where they grew up and were married, coming to this country in
1883, when they removed with their family to Minnesota, spending a few years at Rose Hill and Mountain Lake, Cottonwood county, then returned to their native land, where they spent the rest of their lives, both being now deceased. Three of their children remained in this country, including Theodore, R. J. of Mountain Lake and Margaret, wife of H. K. Rupp, of Westbrook.
Theodore Kintzi spent his boyhood in Austria, where he received a public school education. After coming here he clerked at Mountain Lake for some time. After spending three years he he returned to his native land where he remained until 1890, when he again came to Mountain Lake, where he again secured a position in a local store as clerk, later went to Canada and followed the same line of work, where he engaged in the mercantile business, with a partner, for two years. The last year he lived in Manitoba he was secretary and treasurer of the municipality of Rhineland.
Returning to Minnesota in 1900, he engaged in mercantile pursuits for himself at Darfur, operating a general store for a period of ten years, selling out his stock of goods in 1910, but retained the building for some time thereafter. In that year he bought land near the town of Butterfield, where he built a fine home in which he resided three years. He moved to the farm very largely to change his mode of life at the request of the family; after his long years of indoor work, but not having been reared to husbandry he found the labor too hard and returned to general mercantile pursuits in 1913, at his present location in Westbrook. He carries a large and well-selected stock and does a large and growing business with the town and surrounding country.
While he lived in Darfur he was vice-president of the State Bank, in which he was a stockholder; in fact, he assisted in organizing that institution. He was for some time recorder of the town of Darfur, also a member of the council.
Politically, he is Independent, and he belongs to the Mcnnonite church.