Fransen van de Putte received training as an officer at the Royal Naval College in Medemblik and then worked for 10 years on the merchant ships of Rotterdam shipowner Anthony van Hoboken, where he rose to the position of mate.

In 1866, Fransen van de Putte had a disagreement with Johan Rudolph Thorbecke about colonial land policies.

He and expedition commander Jan van Swieten criticized the often bloody and inhumane treatment of civilians, ranging from large-scale execution to deliberate destruction of livestock and rice fields in Sumatra.

[1] He tried in vain to mediate the conflict between the king and his eldest son, William, Prince of Orange.

He asked that the ministry decide against the king before a wedding of the crown prince to Countess Mathilde van Limburg-Stirum.