Walgren was staff attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1968, and then he engaged in private practice in Pittsburgh from 1969 to 1972. He served as corporate counsel for Behavioral Research Laboratories, Inc. in Palo Alto, California, from 1973 to 1975.
Congressional career
He was elected in 1976 as a Democrat to the 95th and to the six succeeding Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1990. Walgren was defeated by Rick Santorum, who, four years later, was elected Pennsylvania's junior United States senator.