[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12073-12074]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          FORMER PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR WILLIAM WARREN SCRANTON

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2012

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor former Pennsylvania 
Governor William Warren Scranton on the occasion of his 95th birthday.
  Born July 19, 1917, in Madison, Conn., William Scranton comes from a 
long line of public servants, business leaders and philanthropists in 
northeastern Pennsylvania. The city of Scranton--where his ancestors 
established companies and served as elected officials--was named in 
honor of his family.
  Governor Scranton and his wife, the former Mary Lowe Chamberlin, 
recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. The couple raised 
four children including William Worthington Scranton, who went on to 
serve as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
  After graduating from Yale University in 1939, Governor Scranton 
enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps where he served as a pilot during 
World War II, flying combat supplies to North Africa. After he 
graduated from Yale Law School, he returned to Scranton, launched a 
successful legal career and began to make his mark on the community 
through many civic endeavors. One of his pet projects was turning the 
Community Chest, forerunner to the United Way, into a countywide 
organization in Lackawanna County.
  His esteemed public service began in 1959 when he was appointed 
special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State by President Dwight D. 
Eisenhower. A year later he beat the political odds and was elected to 
the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 10th District in 
a win that President John F. Kennedy called ``the political miracle of 
1960.''
  As a freshman member, he emerged as a crusader for the civil rights 
movement and worked tirelessly for his constituents. He served only one 
term in Congress because he answered his party's call once again: In 
1962 Republican leaders across the Commonwealth urged him to run for 
governor.
  He won the 1962 gubernatorial race, defeating then-Philadelphia Mayor 
Richardson Dilworth. During his four years in office, Governor Scranton 
advocated for a strong educational system, continued industrial 
development in the United States and abroad, and for fiscal 
responsibility.
  Numerous programs were launched under the Scranton administration as 
the new governor set out to tackle the nation's second-highest 
unemployment rate, poorly managed state funds, and the decline of the 
rail, coal and textile industries. He founded a state student loan 
program for education, instituted the community college system and 
increased the number of vocational-technical schools.
  When he left the Governor's mansion in 1967, Pennsylvania's 
unemployment rate was below the national average and among the lowest 
of all states. He pared the expanding welfare rolls by more than 
100,000 while creating jobs for those Pennsylvanians.
  The Scranton years turned Pennsylvania into one of the most 
progressive states in the nation: It boasted the biggest highway 
construction program to date; the creation of the state Department of 
Community Affairs, first of its kind in the nation; and an assistance 
program for victims of ``Black Lung'' disease, the model for the 
federal program.
  After that successful first term, Governor Scranton decided to leave 
the public arena and spend more time with Mary and their children. It 
was in those post-gubernatorial years that William Scranton dedicated 
so much of his time, effort and wealth to the community.
  He served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention 
from 1967 to 1968 and helped bring the law of the Keystone State into 
the 20th Century.
  Author James A. Michener, also a delegate to the Pennsylvania 
Constitutional Convention, credited the success of the convention to 
``the sagacious leadership given by Bill Scranton, as fine a politician 
as I would ever know.''
  Governor Scranton held leadership positions in many community 
organizations including the Boys Club of Scranton, the University of 
Scranton's President's Council, the Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and 
the Geisinger Health System.
  Gov. and Mrs. Scranton donated Marworth, their spacious stone estate 
in the Scranton area, to Geisinger for the establishment of a 
residential alcohol and chemical addiction treatment center.
  After turning down several proposals to run again for public office, 
Governor Scranton accepted the appointment of his old fraternity 
brother, President Gerald Ford, in 1976 to serve as the U.S. Ambassador 
to the United Nations. His ability to promote diplomacy and genuine 
interest in human rights earned him favor with many nations and 
promoted a positive world view of the United States.
  As a native Pennsylvanian and an elected official who knows all too 
well how difficult the world of politics and public service can be, I 
applaud Governor Scranton for his unwavering integrity, and his ability 
to bridge gaps and find common-sense solutions to pressing problems.
  Kingman Brewster, the former president of Yale University, best 
described Gov. Scranton when he said: ``A man for all seasons and for 
all people.''
  Mr. Speaker, today, in the winter of his life, Governor Scranton 
still embodies the traits, ideals, and values which many of us strive 
to achieve, and I am honored to congratulate him on his many years of 
dedicated civic service to the community of northeastern Pennsylvania, 
the Commonwealth, and the country.

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