He was admitted to the bar in 1880 and practiced in Detroit and Pittsfield, Illinois.

Williams was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1899–March 3, 1901).

Williams was elected to the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1913–March 3, 1917).

He continued the practice of law until his death in Pittsfield, Illinois, September 13, 1921.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress