New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver dies at 71
EAST ORANGE, N.J. - It's a huge loss in New Jersey politics.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver has died. She was 71, and held the high-ranking position for more than five years.
Oliver's family released the following statement:
It is with incredible sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of the Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey. She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero.
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.
Sheila Y. Oliver leaves behind a legacy of dedication, service, and inspiration. We will remember her commitment to the people of New Jersey and her tireless efforts to uplift the community.
Further information and details regarding memorial arrangements will be provided in due course. Until then, we appreciate your understanding and support.
May her memory be a source of comfort and strength to all who knew her.
Oliver was hospitalized suddenly Monday at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for undisclosed medical care. She had been serving as acting governor while Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is in Italy on a family vacation.
Sources said Oliver had been struggling with ongoing health issues she's kept private.
Oliver was a trailblazer, making history as the first Black woman to hold statewide elected office in New Jersey.
Oliver called East Orange her home for decades. It's where she served on the school board back in the '90s.
Tuesday night, the city and state are mourning her death.
"Sheila Oliver was the best of the human spirit. She was my friend. She was my ally. Every office that I sought, she was on the ballot with me," N.J. Democratic State Committee Chair LeRoy Jones, Jr. said.
To Jones, Oliver was not only a mentor, but a friend. She was close to him and his wife. Oliver and Jones ran on political tickets together before she broke the glass ceiling, becoming the first Black woman to serve as Assembly speaker, then as lieutenant governor in 2010.
"She will always be there in spirt to illuminate the lives of women, girls, particularly African-American, minorities, to know that things are possible," Jones said.
The 71-year-old was serving as acting governor when she was admitted into the hospital. Friends said she had been battling ongoing health issues that she kept private.
"You know, she's been suffering and we all kept her in prayer, and we left this in God's hands. And God called her," Jones said. "It's heartbreaking for me. It's heartbreaking my family. It's heartbreaking for the community, the state."
In East Orange, there's a school named after her, but she went to high school in Newark.
Oliver started her political career running for county freeholder on a ticket with Gov. Richard Codey.
"I was extremely indebted to her. Eventually she became a freeholder, and then a state assemblywoman and then lieutenant governor, and before that the speaker of the house," Codey said.
Codey said she told him the people of New Jersey meant the world to her, and she fought hard for them.
"They were her family she told me once she never married or had children, so for her that was her life and she lived it very well," Codey said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy released this statement:
Tammy and I, and our children, are incredibly saddened and distraught to learn of the passing of our dear friend, colleague, and partner in government, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver
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. 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.
In the five and a half years that we served together in office, in addition to her responsibilities as Lieutenant Governor, Sheila led the Department of Community Affairs, handling some of the most challenging issues facing our State, including the revitalization of our cities, affordable housing obligations, and homelessness prevention. 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.
Beyond all of that, she was an incredibly genuine and kind person whose friendship and partnership will be irreplaceable. We ask that you all keep the Oliver family and all those who knew and loved her in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
"She was that warrior for social justice, for civil rights," Jones said. "She is someone I will carry for the rest of my days and I will make sure she is never, ever forgotten."
Murphy's spokesperson said the governor will be returning to the state soon.
Senate President Nick Scutari is now serving as acting governor.
New Jersey leaders next in line to become acting governor after the senate president are the assembly speaker, attorney general and commissioner of transportation.
Murphy may make an announcement of a new lieutenant governor within the next 30 days, Scutari said.
"[Oliver] was a tremendous individual, a trailblazer as you said. Broke the glass ceiling in so many different ways," Scutari told CBS New York's Chris Wragge. "She was the first speaker of the assembly who was an African American woman, and then moved on to be our first lieutenant governor who was our first African American woman. And more importantly, she was a great individual, a great person to get to know."
Reaction Sheila Oliver's death pours in
"Lt. Governor Oliver's legacy of service and devotion to the people of New Jersey will never be forgotten. She spent 27 years in public office, where she fought tirelessly for social justice, affordable housing, and economic opportunity for New Jerseyans, and especially for communities too often left out and left without a voice. I was fortunate enough to have benefited from Sheila's leadership and advocacy throughout my career as ,ayor of Newark, where she was born and raised, and again as U.S. Senator. I will miss her and her inspiring leadership and yet her legacy will live on for countless generations to come," Sen. Cory Booker said.
"Newark is in mourning. We've lost a favorite daughter, cherished and revered. Long before she was Lieutenant Governor, Sheila Oliver mentored so many in our city – with wisdom, compassion, intelligence, and a fierce dedication to diversity, equality, equity, and justice. She loved us and we loved her back," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said. "Sheila was probably the most knowledgeable elected official in the entire state and an authoritative historian in her own right. Her biography is filled with many 'firsts' as a Black woman, but underlying her many accomplishments will always be the legacy and inspiration she leaves us with: to broaden our vision to see greater possibilities, to expand our embrace to include those on the fringes, and to deepen our commitment to democracy and liberty for all. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones."
Sheila Oliver was a trailblazer. She knocked down barriers for women of color in government, climbing the ranks to the highest levels.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) August 1, 2023
On behalf of New York City, I offer our condolences to her friends, family and the people of New Jersey who she so dutifully served.
"Sheila Oliver was a trailblazer. She knocked down barriers for women of color in government, climbing the ranks to the highest levels," New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote on Twitter. "On behalf of New York City, I offer our condolences to her friends, family and the people of New Jersey who she so dutifully served."
Oliver was a self-described "Jersey Girl," and was born and raised in Newark, according to her official bio. She was inspired to serve in part by Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."
"A trailblazer in every sense of the word, in 2010 she became the first African-American woman in state history to serve as assembly speaker, and just the second in the nation's history to lead a state legislative house," her bio reads.
"Sheila was an extraordinary person. She was deeply committed to the people she served, and the state she loved. We will miss her wisdom, leadership, and passion," New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said.
"She was a trailblazer for women, especially young women of color, in the state. She also led by example for all in her dedication to a lifetime of public service and unwavering commitment to equity, affordable housing, and improving the lives of New Jersey residents. As commissioner of health, I was especially proud to stand alongside her in the first days of COVID-19, when she led our initial response to the unprecedented pandemic. She leaves behind a legacy as a strong leader for all to follow," New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.
"I am absolutely heartbroken by the passing of one of New Jersey's most accomplished and devoted public servants, an exemplary role model for Black women and girls throughout our state, and my very dear friend and fellow East Orange resident, Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver," New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr. said in a statement. "Throughout her many years in elected office and government service, Sheila Oliver was a trailblazer and a true icon for representation, diversity and progress. As our state's first Black woman to serve as Assembly Speaker and as Lt. Governor, Sheila leaves behind a legacy of breaking barriers that will never be forgotten."