Rockhill was born in
Philadelphia, the son of Thomas Cadwalader Rockhill and Dorothea Anne Woodville (1823–1913). His father died when he was 13 years old and his mother relocated the family to
France to escape the
Civil War. While in his teens, Rockhill read
Abbé Huc's account of his 1844-46 voyage to
Lhasa, which sparked young Rockhill's interest in
Tibet. Rockhill attended the
École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, where he studied
Tibetan. The Rockhills sold the ranch in 1881 and moved to
Montreux, Switzerland, where William's mother lived. After perfecting his language skills, he was upgraded to a paid position. During the administration of
President of the United States Grover Cleveland, Rockhill served as
Third Assistant Secretary of State from April 17, 1894, until February 13, 1896. He then served as
United States Assistant Secretary of State under
United States Secretary of State Richard Olney from February 14, 1896, until May 10, 1897. Afflicted by a severe cold he contracted in San Francisco, he developed
pleurisy on the voyage, and had to leave the ship on arrival at
Honolulu for treatment. Four days later, the pleurisy overcome, the ordeal occasioned him heart failure and he died in a Honolulu hospital on 8 December 1914, aged 60. Rockhill is buried in the East Cemetery in
Litchfield, Connecticut. ==Selected works==