Our tenth Lucas County Prosecutor served the citizens of Lucas County in 1860-1861, at the beginning of the Civil War. Records indicate that his time and energy were largely devoted to promoting the Union cause in northwest Ohio. A colonel in the Union Army, Prosecutor Este helped raise $5 million in support of the Union Army, an immense sum for that time. He was also largely responsible for the conscription of 50,000 Union soldiers.

A June, 1860, listing in the Toledo City Directory indicates that Este was, at that time, a practicing member of the Lucas County bar. A prominent member of the community, he had also served on the Committee which dedicated the new Oliver House on Broadway, near the Maumee River, in June 1859.