John Joseph Frederick Otto Zardetti

John Joseph Frederick Otto Zardetti (Rorschach, Switzerland January 24, 1847 - Rome, Italy May 10, 1902) was a Roman Catholic priest and Bishop in both Europe and the United States during the 19th century. He was an Auxiliary Bishop of Dakota Territory under Bishop Martin Marty, the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minnesota and Archbishop of Bucharest, Romania. At the time of his death, he was allegedly being groomed to become the Papal Nuncio to Canada.

Early life

He was born in Canton St. Gallen, Switzerland to an upper middle class family who dealt in fine linens. His last name was derived from his paternal grandfather, an Italian native of Milan, who had emigrated to Switzerland in 1800 and married into the local nobility.

Otto Zardetti received his education from the Jesuit college at Feldkirch and transferred to the St. Gallen Diocesan Seminary in 1863.