In the Assembly he attached himself to the party of the Lt. Governor, James De Lancey, then the preeminent politician in the province, and Smith relates that he also secured for the De Lancey interest the support of "his cousin," also a William Walton, who sat for Richmond County.
In the summer of 1757, the favorite nephew, namesake, and heir of William Walton, now Sr, married the daughter of Lt. Governor De Lancey.