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Newark church to host memorial for NJ Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, with eulogy by Al Sharpton
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Aug 11, 2023
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Danielle Parhizkaran / NorthJersey.com via pool
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Aug 11, 2023
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The state funeral and memorial service for New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
Gov. Phil Murphy and the Rev. Al Sharpton will both give eulogies.
Long lines of mourners paid respect to the trailblazing elected leader during the two days that her body laid in state. A gold hearse with the state seal on its door carried her flag-draped coffin to the rotunda at the state capitol on Thursday. Then, her coffin was brought to the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark on Friday.
In the private viewing for dignitaries and family in Trenton on Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy greeted hundreds of guests as they entered the rotunda where Oliver’s casket had been placed. A large painting and photograph of Oliver were displayed alongside her coffin, as it was visited by state and local officials, and by members of Congress.
Members of the state’s Legislative Black Caucus — many of whom were close friends of Oliver’s — brought roses to her casket and hugged her family members, who were seated nearby.
Oliver was the first Black woman to be elected to statewide office and to become speaker of the Assembly. She was an advocate for social justice who had a reputation for defying party bosses. Murphy described selecting her as his running mate as “the best decision I ever made.”
Oliver was born and raised in Newark and ascended the ranks of political office after first being elected to the East Orange School District's Board of Education in 1994. She was a member of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1996 to 1999 and was first elected to the Assembly in 2004.
She died Aug. 1 at the age of 71 from an undisclosed illness.
Oliver was New Jersey’s second lieutenant governor, after the position was added to the state’s constitution via a ballot referendum in 2005. Murphy has 45 days from the date of her death to fill the vacancy.
Includes pool reporting.
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Politics
Nancy Solomon
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