Metzler was born in Milwaukee County on February 18, 1864, and received his education in public schools.
He worked in the auditing department of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway from 1883 to 1890; from 1891 to 1894 held a similar position with the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway, and from 1896 to 1903 worked as an independent bookkeeper.
In 1912, he left politics and opened one of the first five and dime stores in Milwaukee, which he operated for fifteen years.
He died on October 9, 1929, at his home on Milwaukee's North Side, leaving a widow Minnie, two daughters and two sons.
This article about a Republican Party member of the Wisconsin State Assembly born in the 1860s is a stub.