The son of an artist, Frederick Ballard Williams spent his youth in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where his family moved when he was eight and after 1885, in Glen Ridge New Jersey. His first formal artistic training took place when he attended evening classes at Cooper Union in New York, and worked for a time in the drafting room of John Williams. He also studied at the New York Institute of Artists and Artisans, with John Ward Stimson, before enrolling in the National Academy's life class during the 1893 to 1894 term, under Charles Yardley Turner and Edgar Melville Ward. Williams married Marion Gerry Duncan by 1901.
Williams made two trips to Europe, first in 1904 and again in 1908. During his first trip, he visited France, staying with Henry Golden Dearth in Montreuil-sur-mer. On his second trip, he toured England and Wales for several months. He supported himself during this period by teaching in private schools.
In 1910 Williams made his first of two trips to the Grand Canyon as a guest of the Santa Fe Railroad, with the painters Thomas Moran, Elliott Daingerfield, Douglas Parshall and Edward Potthast. He returned in 1912. This group and these trips were the basis for the formation of the Society of Painters of the Far West. Additionally, Williams often went on sketching trips along the Mystic River during the spring and fall with the painter Henry Ward Ranger.
Williams was best known for his decorative, romantic fantasies of women in landscapes. He exhibited widely, and his awards included a bronze medal at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901, as well was a silver medal from the American Art Society in 1902. He was also an active member of the art community, serving at various times as a member of the Municipal Art Commission of the City of New York and the Arts Council of the City of New York. In 1928, Williams organized and became the national chairman of the American Artists, Professional League. Additionally, he served as the assistant treasurer of the National Academy of Design from 1930 to 1940, thereafter becoming treasurer until 1949.
