Story by Christopher Rhodes • 9h ago
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver died Tuesday, according to a statement issued by Oliver’s family. Oliver, 71, who was the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New Jersey, was serving as acting governor at the time of her death. Although Oliver had faced health challenges for some time, her death has come as a shock to her colleagues and admirers around the country, who are remembering her as a trailblazer, a mentor and a champion for her community.
Illness while serving as acting governor
Oliver died Tuesday after being taken to the hospital Monday. Oliver had been serving as acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy was on vacation in Italy. On Monday, her office passed the role of acting governor to New Jersey Senate President Nick Scutari, as Oliver had been taken to the hospital and was “unable to discharge the duties of acting governor.” Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, but The New York Times reported that some people close to her had known about her facing health challenges for months.
A legacy of trailblazing
Oliver is being remembered as a trailblazer. After growing up near Newark, New Jersey, Oliver left the state for Pennsylvania to earn a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University, one of the nation’s oldest HBCUs, and a masters degree from Columbia University. Oliver returned to New Jersey and began her political career, which included a stint serving on the East Orange School Board. In 2010, she became the first Black woman to lead the New Jersey State Assembly and only the second Black woman to lead a legislative chamber in any state. In 2017, she was elected lieutenant governor on the ticket of Gov. Philip Murphy, becoming the first Black woman to hold statewide elected office in New Jersey.
Remembered for her service to her community and her state
As news of her death broke, condolences and remembrances quickly poured in from Oliver’s colleagues and friends. Murphy posted that he and his family “are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend, colleague, and partner in government.”