Robert Coleman (1748-1825) was one of the most important ironmasters in Pennsylvania and acquired Elizabeth Furnace near Manheim, Pennsylvania. Coleman was born to an English family near Strabane, Ireland, on November 4, 1748, and emigrated to Philadelphia in 1764.

Coleman learned the iron-making business as a clerk at Curtis Grubb (1733-1789) and Peter Grubb's (1740-1786) forges near Cornwall. He soon took a similar position at James Old's (1730-1811) Quittapahilla Forge in Berks County. Coleman married Old's daughter, Mary Ann Old (1755-1844), in 1773 and took a lease of Salford Furnace near Norristown. Three years later, he leased the Elizabeth Furnace near Manheim, Lancaster County, from the creditors of Henry William Stiegel (1729-1785). Coleman was a major supplier of shot and cannon for the Revolutionary armies.

After the war, Coleman greatly expanded his operations. He purchased all the shares in the Elizabeth Furnace between 1780 and 1794. In 1785 he bought the Speedwell Forge from James Old, and in 1786 he secured a 1/6 interest in the Cornwall Furnace from the Grubbs. In 1798, he acquired an additional 2/3 interest, being the total share of Curtis Grubb and half that of Henry Bates Grubb (1774-1823). The purchase included an equivalent share in the famous Cornwall Ore Bank, one of its richest iron deposits east of Lake Superior. Coleman built the Colebrook Furnace on his own account in 1791 and purchased a share of the Martic Forge in 1801.

Coleman was also a leader of the Federalist Party in Lancaster County and held several public offices. His vote was one of three critical electoral votes in the 1796 victory of Adams over Jefferson. Coleman died at Lancaster on August 14, 1825.