Background
Van Idzinga was born in Baardwijk, the Netherlands, to Hendrik van Idsinga, a pastor, and Joanna Elisabeth van Nimwegen.
Van Idzinga was born in Baardwijk, the Netherlands, to Hendrik van Idsinga, a pastor, and Joanna Elisabeth van Nimwegen.
He made a career in the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he was a second lieutenant. In his late twenties, Van Idzinga began his political career in the colonies, first becoming landdrost of the district of Nickerie in Surinam between 1850 and 1853, before becoming Lieutenant Governor (Dutch: gezaghebber) of Sint Eustatius (1853 – 1859) and Sint Maarten (1859 – 1865). In 1865, he was first promoted to the rank of Governor, in the rather dilapidated colony of the Dutch Gold Coast.
In 1867, he was appointed Governor of Surinam.