Gustav Emil "Dutch" Schuman, longtime operator of the pioneering family business that introduced the automobile to Hawai'i, died Aug. 24 at his home after a long illness.

The third-generation leader of Schuman Carriage Co., who also was a well-known Big Island rancher and former Hawaiian Home Lands commissioner, was 76.

Schuman was born in Honolulu on Aug. 3, 1929, to Zena Mossman and Gustav William "Scotty" Schuman, whose father, Gustav A. "Gus" Schuman, came to Hawai'i from Germany at age 16 in 1884 and started Schuman Carriage as a horse-drawn buggy dealership in 1893.

Dutch Schuman joined the family business when he was 16, and worked as a part-time apprentice mechanic during summer breaks. He graduated from Punahou School, but interrupted college studies to work full-time after his father became ill.

In 1955, Dutch Schuman helped expand the family business by acquiring NAPA Auto Parts, and became Schuman Carriage president in 1959. Schuman acquired the Subaru distributorship for Hawai'i in 1974, and for nearly another decade served as president of the company that at one time or another had sold Model T Fords, Opels, Studebakers, Buicks, Cadillacs and other automobile brands.

As a prominent part-Hawaiian business leader, Schuman was appointed to serve on the Hawaiian Home Lands Commission in the 1970s and helped guide state policy on assets held in trust for Native Hawaiians through the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

State senator and former Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairman Clayton Hee got to know Schuman through a shared devotion for horses, and said his friend also maintained a passion for Hawaiian issues.

"He never lost touch with his Hawaiian blood and heritage," Hee said in a written statement. "He had strong opinions about current Hawaiian issues. His only regret was serving the commission at a time when its ability to award property was limited by chronic under-funding. That was frustrating to him. But he and I had many spirited discussions about strides Hawaiians had made as a people, and accomplishments yet to be made. He cared very deeply about that."

Schuman also devoted much of his time to ranching. He started the 8,000-acre S.C. Ranch Co. in 1974, raising cattle and horses on the Big Island.

Keoki Wood, livestock operations manager of Parker Ranch and former S.C. Ranch manager, called Schuman one of Hawai'i's most progressive ranchers at the time for his breeding techniques including embryo transplants.

"He bred and raised some of the finest quarter horses in the state, and (Schuman's wife) Kerry showed them to great acclaim and recognition in local and Mainland cow horse competitions," Wood said in a statement.

In Honolulu, Schuman ran the family auto business as president until 1982 when he was succeeded by Mark Oshio. Schuman continued as board chairman, and last year guided the shutdown of Schuman Carriage's main dealership and the sale of other assets after 111 years in business.

Schuman is survived by his wife, Kerry; children Michael "Skip," Duchess, G. Richard and Heidi; grandchildren Alex, Kaleolani, Philip, Kawena and Mahealani; and sisters Carroll Leilani Schuman and Manulani Lyall.

Funeral services will be Friday at Borthwick Mortuary, with visitation at 9:30 a.m. and service at 11:30 a.m. A private burial will be at Oahu Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Schuman's memory be made to the Hawaiian Humane Society, the Hawaii Foodbank or the Honolulu Waldorf School's Schuman Fund.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.