Scranton practiced law and then entered the business community after the war becoming successful in several firms in northeastern Pennsylvania.
He joined the largest correspondence school in America (International Correspondence Schools) in 1949 as its Vice President for legal affairs.
 He left in 1954 (but later served on the Board of Directors, as had his father).
He became active in Republican Party politics in the 1950s and came to the attention of President Dwight Eisenhower.
In 1959, Eisenhower appointed Scranton as a special assistant to U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and later Christian Herter.
Scranton served a little over a year before resigning to run for Congress.

Scranton's name recognition and family connections helped him win a 17,000 vote victory over incumbent Stanley Prokop in a largely Democratic district in 1960.
Scranton represented Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1963.
Though a freshman Republican, he quickly gained a reputation as an outspoken moderate and supported much of President John F. Kennedy's social agenda
including his legislative agenda for the Civil Rights Movement and the Peace Corps.
The media quickly dubbed him a "Kennedy Republican."
Scranton practiced law and then entered the business community after the war becoming successful in several firms in northeastern Pennsylvania. He joined the largest correspondence school in America (International Correspondence Schools) in 1949 as its Vice President for legal affairs.  He left in 1954 (but later served on the Board of Directors, as had his father). He became active in Republican Party politics in the 1950s and came to the attention of President Dwight Eisenhower. In 1959, Eisenhower appointed Scranton as a special assistant to U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and later Christian Herter. Scranton served a little over a year before resigning to run for Congress.
Scranton's name recognition and family connections helped him win a 17,000 vote victory over incumbent Stanley Prokop in a largely Democratic district in 1960. Scranton represented Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1963. Though a freshman Republican, he quickly gained a reputation as an outspoken moderate and supported much of President John F. Kennedy's social agenda
including his legislative agenda for the Civil Rights Movement and the Peace Corps. The media quickly dubbed him a "Kennedy Republican."
William Scranton