The Fisherman's Protective Union was created in 1908. It quickly spread across the North East coast of Newfiundland. The F.P.U. was a cooperative movement and a political organization. On November 8,  1908 William Coaker held a meeting at the Loyal Oange Lodge in Herring Neck, Newfoundland. At that meeting nineteen fishermen joined with Coaker and formed the Fisherman's Protective Union.

Within a short time the Fisherman's Protective Union had 20 000 members and about 200 local chapters around Newfoundland. 

The motto of the Fisherman's Protective Union is "To Each His Own". The Fisherman's Protective Union founded a newspaper, The Fisherman's Advocate. The Fisherman's Protective Union opened a co-operative store, the Fishermen's Union Trading Co. to import and sell to to the remote north shore of Newfoundland. William Coaker eventually went on to found the Co-op community of Port Union, Newfoundland. 

Coaker believed that the established political parties of Newfoundland were ignoring the plight of the fishermen. If the Fisherman's Protective Union wanted real change, it would have to become political. 

Coaker realized that the Fisherman's Protective Union  would not be able to form the government, as it lacked the strength in too many areas to put forward candidates who would have any chance of victory. After extensive negotiations, an agreement was reached with the Liberal party, led by Sir Robert Bond, to form a united front to contest the election. The Fisherman's Protective Union  would nominate the candidates in 10 of Newfoundland's 36 seats; the Liberal party would nominate the rest. 

In  1913 nine Fisherman's Protective Union candidates were elected to Newfoundland's Legislature, the House of Assembly.  One of those victorious candidates was Walter Jennings. Jennings was one of three fishermen elected to the House of Assembly in 1913. He was also the first adherent of the Salvation Army to win election. Jennings was born in Western Head, Notre Dame Bay, on March 16, 1864. As a member of the House Jennings was notable for having had received only four years of formal education before giving up school for a life in the fishery. 

In 1916 the Liberal Party voted to join with the Fisherman's Protective Union. This alliance was called the Liberal-Unionist Party. In this election Jennings was elected in Twillingate. He would be re-elected in 1919 and 1923 .margins. 

In 1916  the pressure of war led the People's Party led by Michael Cashin to join with Prime Minister Morris'  Libera's and  the Fisherman's Protective Union to form a Wartime Coalition Government. 

The Fisherman's Protective Union introduced bills such as a business profits tax, a bill limiting the powers of the Legislative council (the Senate or Upper House of Newfoundland's Parliamentary system), the establishment of a food price control board etc. However, in 1917, William Coaker and other Fisherman's Protective Union members made a fatal error on the conscription issue. The F.P.U. supported conscription. But, the vast majority of their constituants were opposed to conscription. 

In November 1919, there was an election. In the the post-war years William Coaker maintained the  Liberal-Unionist Alliance. It won 24 of the Newfoundland Assembly's 36 seats.

In this alliance, Richard Squires became Prime Minister of Newfoundland and William Coaker was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and  the Minister of Marine and Fisheries.  Also, Prime Minister Squires appointed Jennings as Minister of Public Works. 

As Fisheries Minister, William Coaker introduced new legislation and a radical fishery marketing policy that, he believed, would buoy the price of fish exports and guarantee a minimum price. Unfortunatly, the scheme was unenforceable and the "Coaker Regulations" were largely ignored.

In the 1920's Newfoundland's ecomony and the Liberal-Unionist Alliance lurched from crisis to crisis.  Because of the F.P.U.'s stance on the conscription issue, the failure of the "Coaker Regulations" and other reasons, the power and influence of the Fisherman's Protective Union began to wain.

Jennings remained as Minister until May 1923. He resigned after a dispute with Alexander Campbell, the Liberal Minister of Agriculture and Mines, over misuse of government funds. Jennings charged that Campbell had used money assigned to the public works department without authorization. This move by Jennings precipitated a course of events which eventually led to Squires’ resignation as Prime Minister. 

As more and more allegations about Campbell became known, four members of cabinet — Justice Minister William Warren, Education Minister Arthur Barnes, Minister without Portfolio Samuel Foote and Fisheries Minister W. W. Halfyard, who was one of Coaker’s closest advisors — approached Squires and demanded Campbell be removed from cabinet. 

When Squires refused, they resigned, and brought down the government. 

Throughout the 1920's Coaker and other F.P.U. members won elections and by-elections. However, the movement never regained it's earlier power and momentum. 

In 1932 Coaker retired from Newfoundland's political arena. In the same year he was made a Knight of the British Empire. 

Sir  William Ford Coaker died in 1938. He is buried in Port Union, Newfoundland.