1. William Whiteway lost his seat in the 1869 election on confederation but returned in 1874 and served as Solicitor-General in the government of Sir Frederick Carter before becoming Premier in 1878 when he succeeded Carter as leader of the Conservatives.
In Opposition William Whiteway founded a new Liberal Party of Newfoundland which won office in 1889 returning William Whiteway as Premier on the issue of the railway.
William Whiteway's government was forced to resign in 1894 due to allegations of electoral corruption in the previous year's election.
The Tories had argued that William Whiteway's Liberals had promised jobs to Newfoundlanders who voted for him and filed petitions in the Supreme Court under the Corrupt Practices Act against fifteen Liberal members of the House alleging bribery and corruption.
William Whiteway himself had been found guilty, his seat declared vacant, and under the provisions of the law, he was barred from seeking election to the House of Assembly or sitting in government.
William Whiteway's government passed the Disabilities Removal Act, which allowed all those members who had been disqualified to run as candidates as well as sit in government.
Greene then resigned so that William Whiteway could be sworn in as premier for a third time.
William Whiteway's Liberals lost the 1897 election, resulting in his retirement from politics.
William Whiteway was succeeded as Liberal leader by Sir Robert Bond.
One daughter, Harriet Louise William Whiteway, married, June 2,1897, Peers Davidson, son of the Hon.