He was in private practice of law in Charlotte and Asheville, North Carolina from 1948 to 1956.

He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina from 1948 to 1952.

Governor Luther H. Hodges appointed him a special judge of the North Carolina Superior Court, where he served from 1956 to 1961.

His service terminated on July 5, 1966, due to elevation to the Fourth Circuit.

[1] Craven was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on June 13, 1966, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 80 Stat.