Hoetger was the son of a Dortmund blacksmith, he studied sculpture in Detmold from 1888 to 1892, before directing a workshop in Rheda-Wiedenbrück.
Hoetger was the offspring of a Dortmund metalworker; he studied sculpture in Detmold from 1888 to 1892 before supervising a workshop in Rheda-Wiedenbrück.