Born in Kaiserslautern, Etzkorn completed an apprenticeship as a hairdresser, then travelled as a journeyman to the Rhein-Main area.
In 1896, he was appointed as the editor of the union's newspaper, the Barbier- und Friseur-Zeitung, and moved to Berlin to undertake the role.
Etzkorn returned to Pforzheim, and focused his time on the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
[1] Etzkorn remained a popular figure among union members, and was admitted to the Stuttgart branch, in defiance of Wesche.
In 1932, it merged into the General Union of Public Sector and Transport Workers, and Etzkorn became an honorary president of its municipal section.