As a member of the Committee on Flood Control, he helped to initiate federal involvement in soil conservation and water resources development, establishing programs that constructed reservoirs and planted native grasses in northwestern Oklahoma.

In addition, he was on the Census, Elections, Public Buildings and Grounds, Irrigation and Reclamation, Rivers and Harbors, and Agriculture Committees.

Ferguson served on the Federal Reserve Board in Oklahoma City and as director of the Farm Credit Administration in Wichita, Kansas.

During World War II, Ferguson was a commissioned major in United States Marine Corps from March 2, 1942, to August 1, 1944, receiving the Silver Star Medal.

Phil Ferguson was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on the Pacific Ocean at San Diego, California.