Williams was a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Tobias Norris.
After living in Hamilton, Ontario,[3] where he worked on a farm for a year and a half, he moved to Manitoba in November 1882 to become a farmer.
[3] Williams also served as president of the local Grain Growers' Association and Agricultural Society[1] and was reeve for the Rural Municipality of Arthur.
Norris's Liberals were reduced to a minority government in the 1920 election and had difficulty passing legislative initiatives in the next two years.
Williams was called on to play a prominent role in the campaign and was promoted to cabinet on June 6, 1922, as Minister of Agriculture.
[4] The United Farmers of Manitoba defeated the Liberals in the 1922 provincial election, and Williams lost his seat to McLeod[4] by 353 votes.