Schmidt, Henry (1882–1918)

Henry Schmidt’s dream of becoming a physician in his hometown of Westbrook, Minnesota, came true in 1910. His dream of opening a hospital, however, was postponed when he died during the 1918 influenza epidemic. Schmidt’s father was instrumental in opening Westbrook’s Henry Schmidt Memorial Hospital in 1951.

Henry was born on July 11, 1882, on a farm in Rosehill Township, eighteen years before the village of Westbrook was incorporated. He was a diligent student and spent much of his leisure time with his books. In 1899 he completed coursework at a Mountain Lake school on the east side of the county. He then attended and graduated from Windom High School in 1901. He qualified to enroll at the University of Minnesota but chose to teach in District 51, his rural country school, for one year before furthering his education.

Schmidt entered the University of Minnesota in the 1903 fall term. He never failed an exam. When he wasn’t in school, Schmidt helped out as much as he could on the family farm. In 1907 he earned a bachelor of science degree and in 1909 a medical degree. He fulfilled his residency requirements at Ashbury Hospital in Minneapolis.

Schmidt became the fourth doctor to practice in the Westbrook area when he started his medical practice late in 1910, after his parents helped him buy out Dr. W. E. Patterson’s practice. The young doctor married Hazel Bullard, a former Westbrook teacher, on August 27, 1918. Their plans for a future together were shattered when Henry succumbed to influenza less than two months later, on October 24. The obituary stated that he died from pneumonia, but Spanish influenza contributed to his death.

The training Schmidt received on the farm instilled in him a strong work ethic that carried him through all levels of his education. This ethic also played a role in his early death, because the young doctor always put his patients first. Even when he felt influenza attacking his body, he continued working day and night in an attempt to save lives of those afflicted with the deadly disease.

After Schmidt’s death, the State Board of Health ordered a private funeral. Rev. J. Lewis conducted the service, and Schmidt was laid to rest in the family plot at the Westbrook cemetery, a short distance northeast of Westbrook. Ottilla Schmidt Muller, Schmidt’s sister, died in February 1919. She is buried in the same cemetery. Katrina Schmidt joined her children in the family plot July 1943.

Daniel Schmidt, Henry’s father, never forgot the dream of opening a hospital that he and his son shared. In 1943, it finally became a reality when he set aside a large sum of money in his will for the construction of a community hospital in Westbrook. He died in 1949—the same year work began on the hospital building.

Dr. Henry Schmidt Memorial Hospital opened its doors to patients in January 1951. Though the hospital has seen many improvements over the years, in 2017 it remains the heart of the Westbrook community. Known since 2007 as the Sanford Westbrook Medical Center, the hospital has the distinction of being the smallest functioning hospital in Minnesota.