By Stephen Appezzato
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver died Tuesday, Aug. 1. The 71-year-old was admitted to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston on Monday for an undisclosed medical issue.
In the days leading up to her hospital admittance, Gov. Murphy was vacationing in Italy. At this time, Oliver served as acting governor. However, once admitted for medical care, Oliver was unable to fulfill gubernatorial duties. Democratic Senate President Nicholas Scutari assumed the role in Oliver’s absence.
Oliver had an impactful career, advancing policies to benefit many New Jersyans over her tenure. In a statement, Gov. Murphy described her as a “trailblazer in every sense of the word,” who “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 that Oliver’s “decades of public service made her the ideal partner,” and cited his running mate selection as the best decision he ever made.
The Monmouth County Commissioners issued a statement on the event, hailing Oliver as a “dedicated public servant through her work in East Orange, the New Jersey General Assembly, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and as Lieutenant Governor of our great State,” and offered their condolences to Oliver’s family.
Oliver was born and raised in Newark, and lived in East Orange for more than 40 years. In the 1990s, she served on the East Orange School District Board of Education, eventually becoming board president.
In 2004, she was elected to state general assembly for district 34. Oliver became speaker of the body in 2010, and later lieutenant governor in 2018.
The article originally appeared in the August 3 – 9, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
