[1] In 1904, Rockwell graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.

[1] In World War II, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Rockwell, his wife Ann and their son James C. Rockwell Jr. were interned at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila.

[2][3] On May 8, 1913, Rockwell married Dorothy Shepard at the American Consulate General in Yokohama, Empire of Japan.

Rockwell completed his term on June 30, 1920, at the end of the first full Rotary year.

[7] In 1927, Rockwell founded the Manila Yacht Club and served as its Commodore.