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Sheila Oliver, NJ's lieutenant governor and a pioneering Black leader, has died
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Aug 1, 2023
Modified Aug 1, 2023
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Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Aug 1, 2023
Modified Aug 1, 2023
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Sheila Oliver, who was New Jersey's lieutenant governor and the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the state’s Assembly, has died. She was 71.
Oliver died at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. Her family has not yet announced a cause of death.
"When I selected her to be my running mate in 2017, Lt. Gov. Oliver was already a trailblazer in every sense of the word,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a written statement Tuesday. “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.”
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 was a social worker by training, which therein lied her love for people and her advocacy for justice and changing the lives of people … whether it be housing, whether it be aspects of social justice,” said Leroy Jones, chairman of the New Jersey State Democratic Party.
Jones and Oliver had been close friends and political allies since the late 1980s, and Oliver helped Jones become the party's leader.
“She was loved by everybody, whether you were with her or whether you found yourselves on an opposing slate — everybody loves Sheila!” he said. “I can't say that about me, but everybody loves Sheila.”
“She loved us and we loved her back,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “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.”
Murphy's decision to pick Oliver as his lieutenant governor in 2017 was seen as both a smart move and a huge shift in geographical power between North and South Jersey. During Republican Gov. Chris Christie's eight-year tenure, South Jersey Democrats had amassed political power. By picking Oliver, Murphy was not only shifting power north, but was also choosing a political insider who had made a career out of defying the party bosses.
Murphy’s choice was also broadly seen as a way for him to get the help he would need to the labyrinth of the state Legislature. Assemblymember Mila Jasey (D-South Orange), Oliver's colleague and longtime friend, said Oliver's adept political skills came from her ability to listen to opposing sides.
“We didn't always agree, but we always agreed to listen to each other. And the issues that we talked about most had to do with education and housing,” Jasey said. “Sheila had a great sense of style and she also had a very good sense of humor.”
Jasey said that humor, more than anything, helped Oliver through the world of New Jersey politics.
“You have to be able to sometimes take things with a grain of salt and let things roll off you without reacting, and that was one of the things I learned from Sheila as well,” Jasey said.
Oliver was also tough and outspoken. In 2011, at the height of Christie’s power, she called him out for remarks he made that were leaked from a conservative fundraising meeting. Christie told the national conservatives that he had Oliver’s support to cut benefits for public workers.
Oliver then told reporters she was "beginning to wonder if Gov. Christie is mentally deranged."
Despite that statement, she maintained a good relationship with Christie.
“It is a sad day for NJ and for me personally. The passing of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver is a loss for our state,” Christie posted to social media. “I will miss Sheila. She served as speaker in my first term and we treated each other with kindness and respect. We got things done. She was a great person and partner.”
Oliver’s outspokenness was watched by current Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, who arrived in the Legislature while she was the speaker.
“Sheila was an extraordinary person,” Coughlin said. “She was deeply committed to the people she served, and the state she loved. We will miss her wisdom, leadership, and passion.”
The leader of Democrats in the state Senate, Teresa Ruiz, said Oliver “embodied the spirit of a warrior.”
“She was a fierce advocate for our communities and led with resilience and compassion,” Ruiz said. “She was not only a fearless fighter for the voiceless, but she was also a pioneer who shattered glass ceilings and opened doors for so many women, and especially women of color. “
Oliver was only New Jersey’s second-ever lieutenant governor, after the post was created through an amendment to the state constitution in 2006. In that role, she also headed the state's Department of Community Affairs.
State Senate President Nicholas Scutari assumed the role of acting governor on Monday after Oliver was hospitalized. He’ll continue in that role until Murphy returns from a planned vacation overseas.
This story has been updated to include further reflections on Sheila Oliver's life from several of her peers.
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Nancy Solomon
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