Background
He was born in Handsworth, Birmingham on 20 March 1877 to James Anthony and Emma Mary (née Leighton) Williams.
He was born in Handsworth, Birmingham on 20 March 1877 to James Anthony and Emma Mary (née Leighton) Williams.
He was educated at Street Wilfrid"s College, Cotton and Street Mary"s College, Oscott.
He was ordained to the priesthood on 24 August 1900. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1903 and a Master of Arts degree in 1909. Between 1905–1909, he was Assistant Master at Street Wilfrid"s College, Cotton and Assistant Master at Street Edmund"s College, Ware.
He was appointed the Master of Street Edmund"s House, Cambridge from 1909 to 1918.
During the First World War, he also served in the Royal Army Chaplains" Department (RACD) and was mentioned in despatches. After the war, he was the Principal of Street Charles"s House, Oxford (1920–1922) and Rector of Street Wilfrid"s College, Cotton (1922–1929).
He was appointed the archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Birmingham by Pope Pius XI on 23 June 1929. His consecration to the Episcopate took place on 25 July 1929, the principal consecrator was Cardinal Francis Alphonsus Bourne, Archbishop of Westminster, and the principal co-consecrators were Bishop Dudley Charles Cary-Elwes of Northampton, and Bishop John Patrick Barrett of Plymouth.
In 1937, Williams also became President of the Catholic Social Guild.
He died in the Old Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on 1 April 1946, aged 69, and was buried in the crypt of Street Chad"s Cathedral, Birmingham on 5 April 1946.
In 1922 he criticised the hospitals policy of the British Medical Association from the Labour Party point of view.
33rd United Kingdom Parliament]
He was the Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for the Kennington division of Lambeth from 1923 to 1924.