Born in Greenwood Township,[Note 1] Pennsylvania, Troutman received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Dickinson College in 1934 and a Bachelor of Laws from Dickinson School of Law (now Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson Law) in 1936.
He began working for the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company in 1937, as an assistant to the general counsel, becoming its general counsel in 1958, and remaining in that position until 1962.
He also served in the United States Army's Adjutant General's Office, and had a private practice in Pottsville, Pennsylvania from 1946 to 1967.
[1] On May 24, 1967, Troutman was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania created by 80 Stat.
He assumed senior status on September 1, 1982, serving in that capacity until his death on October 8, 2004, in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania.