Elected to Parliament in January 3125, Eric Welles served quietly until John Barclay resigned as leader of the Free Democrats. Welles contested the leadership and came in fourth place. Following Potter Swayne's resignation, Corazon Trouillot became leader and appointed Welles to the Deputy Leadership. Trouillot resigned following major losses in the parliamentary elections. Many initially viewed Welles as having the potential to revive the party, however, he suddenly resigned after he saw the party lose it's seats in the cabinet. He retired from the Senate in May 3140. Following his retirement, he served as an unofficial policy advisor. He died in 3176 at the age of 98.