William R. Rockhill (February 10, 1793 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1847 to 1849.

Biography

Born in

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a city in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,743. Burlington was first incorporated on October 24, 1693, and was r ...

, Rockhill attended the public schools. He moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1823. He engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Political career

He served as commissioner of Allen County, Indiana, in 1825

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He served as member of the first city council of Fort Wayne and also city assessor. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1834-1837. He served in the State senate 1844-1847. Rockhill was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849). He resumed agricultural pursuits.

Family

William R. Rockhill was first married to Theodosia Richardson (1797–1833). Their daughter, Elizabeth (1816–1889), married Isaac DeGroff Nelson (1810–1891), and they were the parents of the famous Kansas City newspaper baron,

William Rockhill Nelson William Rockhill Nelson (March 7, 1841 – April 13, 1915) was an American real estate developer and co-founder of ''The Kansas City Star'' in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri. He donated his estate (and home) for the establishment of ...

(1841–1915). Theodosia died on Friday, August 16, 1833. On Thursday, February 14, 1839, William Rockhill married Eliza Ann Waugh (1816-1845). Eliza died on Thursday, April 24, 1845, and on Friday, September 29, 1848, William Rockhill married Elizabeth Hill (1820–1859). Elizabeth died on Monday, May 9, 1859, and William's fourth and final marriage was to Emily Waugh (1824-1903), who may have been the younger sister of Eliza Waugh. (Currently, the parents of those women are unknown.)

Death

Rockhill died at Fort Wayne on January 15, 1865. He was interred in Lindenwood Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockhill, William 1793 births 1865 deaths County commissioners in Indiana People from Burlington, New Jersey Democratic Party Indiana state senators Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Indiana politicians