Born in
Lebanon, New Hampshire, Estabrook moved with his parents to
Clarence, New York, in 1822 where he attended the public schools. He then attended
Dickinson College in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He graduated from
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Law School, and then was admitted to the bar in
Brooklyn, New York in 1839. He worked as a clerk at the
Navy Yard in Brooklyn and later practiced law in
Buffalo, New York. In 1840, he moved to
Geneva, Wisconsin in 1840 and continued the practice of law. Estabrook was a delegate to the second Wisconsin State Constitutional Convention in 1848; in 1851, he became a member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly. He was
attorney general of Wisconsin in 1852 and 1853. Estabrook was appointed as
United States attorney by President
Franklin Pierce, for the
Nebraska Territory, and served from 1855 to 1859. He ran for delegate to the
Thirty-sixth United States Congress, and won by 300 votes, but his opponent
Samuel G. Daily contested the election and won. The House Committee on Elections found many cases of fraud and voter irregularities, ranging from improperly commissioned election officials to the vote total from Izard County exceeding the county's population. Estabrook served from March 4, 1859, to May 18, 1860, when he was removed and replaced by
Samuel G. Daily. Estabrook was appointed by the governor to codify the Nebraska State laws in 1866. He became the prosecuting attorney for
Douglas County, Nebraska in 1867 and 1868. He was a member of the Nebraska State Constitutional Convention in 1871. Estabrook died in
Omaha, Nebraska, and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha. His daughter,
Caroline, was a composer. His son, Henry Dodge Estabrook, was a lawyer in New York City. ==References==