He was a delegate to the Pittsburgh Central Labor Union from 1920 to 1940, and a member of the Allegheny County Board for the Assessment and Revision of Taxes from 1936 to 1941.
Congress
Scanlon was elected as a Democrat to the 77th and 78th Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1944.
Later career and death
After serving in congress, he was a member of the Boards of Viewers of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
He died in Pittsburgh, PA, and is interred in North Side Catholic Cemetery.