New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, the first Black woman to serve in the role, died suddenly Tuesday at the age of 71. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but Oliver had been hospitalized in recent days.
“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,” Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement announcing Oliver’s death. “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.”
Murphy also said Tuesday that when he selected Oliver to be his running mate in 2017, she was “already a trailblazer in every sense of the word.”
The Oliver family said separately that 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.”
Acting Governor and State Senate President Nicholas Scutari, filling the role while Murphy is out of the country in Italy, confirmed Tuesday afternoon that flags would be ordered to half-staff in memory of Oliver. Murphy is expected to return early from his European vacation.
Oliver was born in Newark, and spent a lot of her youth there. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, a historically Black university. She later earned a master’s degree in planning and administration from Columbia University, and began her political career in the late 1970s, serving in a variety of roles culminating in the lieutenant governorship.
