William Scranton
Encyclopedia
William Warren Scranton (born July 19, 1917) is a former U.S. Republican Party
politician
. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967. From 1976 to 1977, he served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations
.
. He was the son of Worthington Scranton, a wealthy Pennsylvania businessman, and Marion Margery Scranton, a member of the Republican National Committee
for over two decades. Despite her own involvement in politics, his mother tried to dissuade him from entering politics, due to his childhood struggles with asthma
, believing that the stress of campaigning would be detrimental to his frail health. Mrs. Scranton died just before her son's election to Congress in 1960. He is the grandson of Joe Scranton
, a U.S. Congressman
from Pennsylvania. Scranton family members were the founders and patriarchs of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania
. He is also a nephew by marriage of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Davis, a confidante of President Abraham Lincoln
. His maternal ancestors
came to America on the
Mayflower
.
in Newton, Massachusetts
, and attended the prestigious Hotchkiss School
in Lakeville, Connecticut
. He graduated from Yale University
in 1939. While at Yale, he was a member of the Chi Psi
fraternity
, where he became friends with another fraternity brother from Delta Kappa Epsilon
, future U.S. President
Gerald Ford
, and of the Berzelius
Secret Senior Society. (Pictured with his Berzelius Class of '39 at http://images.library.yale.edu/madid/oneItem.aspx?id=1772773&q=&q1=&q2=&qc1=&qc2=&qf1=&qf2=&qn=5565&qo=&qm=&qs=&sid=&qx=)
He attended Yale Law School
from 1939 to 1941, dropping out in advance of World War II
, enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps
and serving as an Air Transport Command pilot during the war. Although he did not serve in combat
, he was assigned to aircraft mobilization and pilot
training duties, and was stationed on three different continents during his tour of duty, including South America
, Africa
, and Asia
. On July 6, 1942, he married Mary Lowe Chamberlain. The couple had four children, a daughter and three sons, Susan, William Worthington, Joseph Curtis, and Peter Kip. He was honorably discharged from military as a captain, but was active in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for two decades thereafter. Following the war, he resumed his studies at Yale Law School. He graduated in 1946, and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar
in August of that year.
. 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 centrist
and supported much of President John F. Kennedy’s
social agenda
including civil rights
and the Peace Corps
. The media
quickly dubbed him a “Kennedy Republican.”
, which had lost the two previous gubernatorial elections and seen the state's electoral votes go to Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election
, became convinced that a moderate like Scranton would have enough bipartisan appeal to revitalize the party. He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania against Richardson Dilworth
, the mayor of Philadelphia. The ticket added Raymond Shafer
, who would succeed him as governor, as his running mate
. After one of the most acrimonious campaigns in state history, the Scranton/Shafer team won a huge victory in the election besting their opponents by nearly half a million votes out of just over 6.6 million cast.
While he was Governor of Pennsylvania, the largest manhunt in the history of Pennsylvania took place. On May 11, 1966, Peggy Ann Bradnick
was kidnapped near Shade Gap
. Pennsylvania State Police
, FBI agents, local law enforcement, and civilian volunteers scoured the mountains around Shade Gap and Burnt Cabins. On May 17, the kidnapper, William Diller Hollenbaugh, shot and killed FBI Agent Terry Ray Anderson. On May 18, Hollenbaugh shot and wounded Cambria County Deputy Sheriff Francis Sharpe. There was a shootout at Rubeck's farm in Burnt Cabins and Hollenbaugh was killed; Peggy Ann Bradnick was rescued without serious injury.
in the beginning, a “Draft Scranton” movement quickly gathered momentum among moderate and liberal Republicans who saw him as an alternative to conservative front-runner Senator Barry Goldwater
, as well as other Republicans who feared that Goldwater's polarizing views would lead to defeat, after the campaign of Goldwater's liberal opponent, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller
, had lost steam. Early in the campaign, he announced that he would be willing to accept the nomination for Vice President. Scranton first declined to enter the race but later threw his hat into the ring on June 12, 1964. Scranton won the support of ten state delegations, but Goldwater went on to win the nomination on the first ballot. RNC Chairman and U.S. Congressman William E. Miller
of New York
was nominated for Vice President.
of 1967-1968 and helped write a new constitution for the state, which included a provision allowing future governors to seek a second term. In 1968, President-elect Richard Nixon
asked Scranton to become Secretary of State, but he declined. He did serve as a special envoy to the Middle East
but when he said the Nixon Administration should be "more evenhanded" in managing the problems of the Middle East, some in the American Jewish community regarded this as antisemitic and Nixon quickly distanced himself from the former governor. In accordance with his 1966 pledge never to seek elected office, he rebuffed a draft movement
encouraging him to run for the U.S. Senate
.
After the Kent State shootings
in 1970 Scranton was asked to chair the President's Commission on Campus Unrest
to investigate this and other incidents of campus violence and protest
. The committee’s conclusions came to be known as the “Scranton Report”.
Following Nixon's resignation from the Presidency in 1974, he was appointed as a transition team member for incoming President Gerald Ford
.
Scranton reentered the business world and served on the boards of several high profile American corporations such as A&P
, IBM
, The New York Times
, Pan American Airways
, and the H.J. Heinz Company and was president of Northeastern National Bank and Trust Company. He has also been associated with the Trilateral Commission
, the Council on Foreign Relations
, and was a trustee of Yale University, his alma mater
.
In 1976, Scranton was chosen by President Ford to become United States Ambassador to the United Nations
. His measured approach to diplomacy
and genuine interest in human rights
earned him much respect in his short time in office. Some in the Republican Party pushed for Scranton to be named Ford’s running mate for the 1976 presidential election, but Ford chose Senator Robert Dole of Kansas
instead. After his term as U.N. Ambassador, Scranton retired to his home in Dalton, Pennsylvania
.
Scranton's son, William Scranton, III
served as Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor
under Richard Thornburgh. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986 and was for a while considered a leading candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2006 but ultimately dropped out of the race.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967. From 1976 to 1977, he served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador...
.
Early life
William Scranton was born while the Scranton family was on vacation at a cottage in Madison, ConnecticutMadison, Connecticut
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 18,812 at the 2000 census....
. He was the son of Worthington Scranton, a wealthy Pennsylvania businessman, and Marion Margery Scranton, a member of the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
for over two decades. Despite her own involvement in politics, his mother tried to dissuade him from entering politics, due to his childhood struggles with asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, believing that the stress of campaigning would be detrimental to his frail health. Mrs. Scranton died just before her son's election to Congress in 1960. He is the grandson of Joe Scranton
Joseph A. Scranton
Joseph Augustine Scranton was a Republican politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives from 1881 to 1883, 1885 to 1887, 1889 to 1891, and 1893 to 1897....
, a U.S. Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Pennsylvania. Scranton family members were the founders and patriarchs of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. He is also a nephew by marriage of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Davis, a confidante of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. His maternal ancestors
came to America on the
Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
.
Education and World War II Service
He began his education at the Scranton Country Day School, which had been founded by his parents, completing his basic schooling at the Fessenden SchoolFessenden School
The Fessenden School is an independent day and boarding school for boys, founded in 1903 by Frederick J. Fessenden, and located at 250 Waltham Street, West Newton, Massachusetts, United States, on a campus....
in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, and attended the prestigious Hotchkiss School
Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is an independent, coeducational American college preparatory boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, the school enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and a small number of postgraduates...
in Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville is a village and census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on Lake Wononskopomuc. The village includes Lakeville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district represents about of the village center...
. He graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1939. While at Yale, he was a member of the Chi Psi
Chi Psi
Chi Psi Fraternity is a fraternity and secret society consisting of 29 active chapters at American colleges and universities. It was founded on Thursday May 20, 1841, by 10 students at Union College with the idea of emphasizing the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, where he became friends with another fraternity brother from Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
, future U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, and of the Berzelius
Berzelius
Berzelius is a secret society at Yale University named for the Swedish scientist Jöns Jakob Berzelius, considered one of the founding fathers of modern chemistry...
Secret Senior Society. (Pictured with his Berzelius Class of '39 at http://images.library.yale.edu/madid/oneItem.aspx?id=1772773&q=&q1=&q2=&qc1=&qc2=&qf1=&qf2=&qn=5565&qo=&qm=&qs=&sid=&qx=)
He attended Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
from 1939 to 1941, dropping out in advance of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
and serving as an Air Transport Command pilot during the war. Although he did not serve in combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
, he was assigned to aircraft mobilization and pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
training duties, and was stationed on three different continents during his tour of duty, including South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. On July 6, 1942, he married Mary Lowe Chamberlain. The couple had four children, a daughter and three sons, Susan, William Worthington, Joseph Curtis, and Peter Kip. He was honorably discharged from military as a captain, but was active in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for two decades thereafter. Following the war, he resumed his studies at Yale Law School. He graduated in 1946, and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in August of that year.
Early career
Scranton practiced law and then entered the business community after the war becoming successful in several firms in northeastern Pennsylvania. He became active in Republican Party politics in the 1950s and came to the attention of President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. In 1959, Eisenhower appointed Scranton as a special assistant to U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
and later Christian Herter
Christian Herter
Christian Archibald Herter was an American politician and statesman; 59th governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957, and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961.-Early life:...
. 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
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Stanley Prokop
Stanley A. Prokop
Stanley A. Propkop was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1961.Prokop was born in Throop, Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County and attended Villanova University. Upon the outbreak of World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army as a private, serving in the 30th...
in a largely Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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 centrist
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
and supported much of President John F. Kennedy’s
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
social agenda
including civil rights
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
and the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
. The media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
quickly dubbed him a “Kennedy Republican.”
1962 Gubernatorial Election
In 1962, the Republican party in PennsylvaniaRepublican State Committee of Pennsylvania
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is based in Harrisburg in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Republican Party of the United States.-Founding:...
, which had lost the two previous gubernatorial elections and seen the state's electoral votes go to Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
, became convinced that a moderate like Scranton would have enough bipartisan appeal to revitalize the party. He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania against Richardson Dilworth
Richardson Dilworth
Richardson K. Dilworth was an American Democratic Party politician, born in the Pittsburgh area, who served as the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962.-Education and early career:...
, the mayor of Philadelphia. The ticket added Raymond Shafer
Raymond P. Shafer
Raymond Philip Shafer served as the 39th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1971. He had previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 1963 to 1967...
, who would succeed him as governor, as his running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
. After one of the most acrimonious campaigns in state history, the Scranton/Shafer team won a huge victory in the election besting their opponents by nearly half a million votes out of just over 6.6 million cast.
Governor of Pennsylvania
As Governor, he signed into law sweeping reforms in the state's education system including creation of the state community college system, the state board of education, and the state Higher Education Assistance Agency. Furthermore, he created a program designed to promote the state in national and international markets and to increase the attractiveness of the state's prouducts and services.While he was Governor of Pennsylvania, the largest manhunt in the history of Pennsylvania took place. On May 11, 1966, Peggy Ann Bradnick
Peggy Ann Bradnick
Peggy Ann Bradnick was 17 years old when she was kidnapped by ex-convict and ex-mental patient, William Diller Hollenbaugh a.k.a. "The Mountain Man", "The Bicycle Man", and "Bicycle Pete," near Shade Gap, Pennsylvania in May 1966...
was kidnapped near Shade Gap
Shade Gap, Pennsylvania
Shade Gap is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 97 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shade Gap is located at ....
. Pennsylvania State Police
Pennsylvania State Police
The Pennsylvania State Police is the state police force of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. It was founded in 1905 by order of Governor Samuel Pennypacker, in response to the private police forces used by mine and mill owners to stop worker strikes and the inability or...
, FBI agents, local law enforcement, and civilian volunteers scoured the mountains around Shade Gap and Burnt Cabins. On May 17, the kidnapper, William Diller Hollenbaugh, shot and killed FBI Agent Terry Ray Anderson. On May 18, Hollenbaugh shot and wounded Cambria County Deputy Sheriff Francis Sharpe. There was a shootout at Rubeck's farm in Burnt Cabins and Hollenbaugh was killed; Peggy Ann Bradnick was rescued without serious injury.
1964 Presidential Election
Although he did not actively seek the 1964 Republican nomination for President of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in the beginning, a “Draft Scranton” movement quickly gathered momentum among moderate and liberal Republicans who saw him as an alternative to conservative front-runner Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, as well as other Republicans who feared that Goldwater's polarizing views would lead to defeat, after the campaign of Goldwater's liberal opponent, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, had lost steam. Early in the campaign, he announced that he would be willing to accept the nomination for Vice President. Scranton first declined to enter the race but later threw his hat into the ring on June 12, 1964. Scranton won the support of ten state delegations, but Goldwater went on to win the nomination on the first ballot. RNC Chairman and U.S. Congressman William E. Miller
William E. Miller
William Edward "Bill" Miller was a New York politician. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 1964 election...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
was nominated for Vice President.
Later career
Under the then-existing Pennsylvania law, Scranton was limited to a single term and could not run for reelection in 1966. That same year, he announced that he would never again seek elected office. After his term in office, Scranton attended the Pennsylvania Constitutional ConventionConstitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
of 1967-1968 and helped write a new constitution for the state, which included a provision allowing future governors to seek a second term. In 1968, President-elect Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
asked Scranton to become Secretary of State, but he declined. He did serve as a special envoy to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
but when he said the Nixon Administration should be "more evenhanded" in managing the problems of the Middle East, some in the American Jewish community regarded this as antisemitic and Nixon quickly distanced himself from the former governor. In accordance with his 1966 pledge never to seek elected office, he rebuffed a draft movement
encouraging him to run for the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
After the Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
in 1970 Scranton was asked to chair the President's Commission on Campus Unrest
President's Commission on Campus Unrest
On June 13, 1970, President Richard Nixon established the President's Commission on Campus Unrest, which became known as the Scranton Commission after its chairman, former Pennsylvania governor William Scranton....
to investigate this and other incidents of campus violence and protest
Student Strike of 1970
In the aftermath of the American Invasion of Cambodia on April 30, 1970, four students were killed at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 in Ohio, as well as two students at Jackson State College in Mississippi on May 14/15...
. The committee’s conclusions came to be known as the “Scranton Report”.
Following Nixon's resignation from the Presidency in 1974, he was appointed as a transition team member for incoming President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
.
Scranton reentered the business world and served on the boards of several high profile American corporations such as A&P
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A&P's liquor stores, known as...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Pan American Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
, and the H.J. Heinz Company and was president of Northeastern National Bank and Trust Company. He has also been associated with the Trilateral Commission
Trilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a non-governmental, non-partisan discussion group founded by David Rockefeller in July 1973 to foster closer cooperation among the United States, Europe and Japan.-History:...
, the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, and was a trustee of Yale University, his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
.
In 1976, Scranton was chosen by President Ford to become United States Ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. His measured approach to diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and genuine interest in human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
earned him much respect in his short time in office. Some in the Republican Party pushed for Scranton to be named Ford’s running mate for the 1976 presidential election, but Ford chose Senator Robert Dole of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
instead. After his term as U.N. Ambassador, Scranton retired to his home in Dalton, Pennsylvania
Dalton, Pennsylvania
Dalton is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, USA. It is located approximately 8 miles north of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania in a growing suburban area known as the "Abingtons." Dalton is also approximately 3 miles north of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, the hub of the Abington...
.
Scranton's son, William Scranton, III
William Scranton, III
William Worthington Scranton, III served as the Republican lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987 in the administration of Governor Richard Thornburgh...
served as Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
under Richard Thornburgh. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986 and was for a while considered a leading candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2006 but ultimately dropped out of the race.