William Harold Coleman was born on September 25, 1885, in Albert, New Brunswick, Canada. He graduated from Aberdeen High School in Moncton, New Brunswick, in 1902, and he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Acadia University in 1906, after which he taught in the Canadian public schools until 1908. From 1908 until 1909, he served as Principal of Schools in Mystic, Connecticut. In 1909, he received a Master of Arts degree from Acadia, and in the following year he received one from Yale University. From1910 to 1914, he was Head of the English Department of Drum High School in North Adams, Massachusetts, and from 1914 until 1918 he was an Instructor in English at Bates College in Maine. He studied at the University of Wisconsin from 1918 to 1919 and served as an instructor in the SATC, after which he became Associate Professor of English at Furman University in South Carolina, where he remained until his appointment at Bucknell in 1924. While at Furman, Professor Coleman took additional graduate work at the University of Virginia in 1920 and Harvard University in 1922.

In 1924, William H. Coleman accepted the position of Professor of English at Bucknell, where he later served a Chairman of the English Department before his appointment as Dean of the College in 1945. He was elected into Phi Beta Kappa as a foundation member on November 7, 1940 when the Bucknell chapter was installed. He was a co-editor, with Dr. Harry Wolcott Robbins, Professor of English at Bucknell, of Western World Literature, an anthology which was used by many colleges in survey courses in World Literature. Dr. Coleman was awarded an honorary degree by his alma mater. He was appointed Dean of the College in 1945 and served in this capacity until he became Vice President For Academic Affairs in 1953. He served as both dean and vice president until 1956 when, in accordance with the university retirement policy, Dean Coleman retired from his position. After being awarded an honorary doctorate by Bucknell at his retirement, Dr. Coleman was appointed to "the newly-created position of vice president and secretary of the Bucknell Study" whose purpose was "an extensive review of the aims, the curriculum, and the educational policies of Bucknell." From 1958 until his death, Dr. Coleman was Vice-President and Dean, Emeritus. When he died on January 24, 1964, following a long illness, Western World Literature was in its seventeenth printing and still in use in many colleges. Dr. Coleman was buried in Mystic, Connecticut.