New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver has died at age 71.
Oliver was serving as acting governor with Governor Phil Murphy out of state, when she was hospitalized on Monday at Cooperman Barnabas Medial Center in Livingston. Sen. Pres. Nicholas Scutari stepped up to fill Oliver’s position on Monday while she was receiving medical care for undisclosed health issues.
Oliver was New Jersey’s first Black Lieutenant Governor.
“She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero,” the Oliver family said in a written statement. “As we come to terms with this profound loss, we kindly request that you respect the privacy of the Oliver family during this difficult time as they grieve their beloved Sheila.”
Governor Murphy’s office previously indicated that the Governor is out of the country on family vacation. He was set to return Aug. 13. In a written statement, Governor Murphy said he and his family are “incredibly saddened and distraught” to hear of Oliver’s death.
”When I selected her to be my running mate in 2017, Lieutenant Governor Oliver was already a trailblazer in every sense of the word. She had already made history as the first Black woman to serve as Speaker of the General Assembly, and just the second Black woman in the nation’s history to lead a house of a state legislature,” Murphy said in a statement. “I knew then that her decades of public service made her the ideal partner for me to lead the State of New Jersey. It was the best decision I ever made.”
Murphy said, since assuming her role, Oliver has stood firm in handling New Jersey’s most pressing issues.
“As someone who was born and raised in Newark, and who has called East Orange home for more than 40 years, Sheila did not view these issues in the abstract because she lived with them every day of her life. She brought a unique and invaluable perspective to our public policy discourse and served as an inspiration to millions of women and girls everywhere, especially young women of color,” he said in a statement.
Born and raised in Newark and East Orange resident, Oliver graduated from the city’s Weequahic High School before earning a sociology degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and a master's in planning and administration from Columbia University.
She later worked for a nonprofit social services organization and taught at Essex County College and nearby Caldwell University.
Newark City Council President Lamonica McIver says the legacy left by Oliver is long and trailblazing one.
"I think her early advocacy on child care and advocating for young moms, single women and all women to have access to childcare, it was amazing all of the work she put into that early in her career. I'm talking pre-election, she was doing a lot to help her community. I think Sheila Oliver meant so much to me and a lot of other women politicians. She was a true trailblazer who has broken so many glass ceilings and has done so many remarkable things."
Oliver’s family said further information and funeral arrangements will be provided at a later date.
