His father, William Thomas Ingram, Sr., was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister.
During World War II, Ingram joined the United States Army and served as a chaplain from 1943 to 1946.
After the war, he was Professor of Missions at the Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary from 1946 to 1964.
Ingram was Dean of Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary from 1962 to 1964 while the institution was located in McKenzie, Tennessee.
He served as the first President of Memphis Theological Seminary from June 1, 1964 to September 1, 1978.