NJ Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver Dies At 71 After Hospitalization: UPDATES

NEW JERSEY — Sheila Y. Oliver, who made history as the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and later as the lieutenant governor, has died, her family said Tuesday. She was 71.

The Essex County Democrat, who was acting as governor while Phil Murphy is on a family vacation in Italy, was hospitalized on Monday for an undisclosed cause, said Murphy's office. The governor's office declined to elaborate.

Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy left New Jersey on Friday for their trip and were scheduled to return Aug. 13, his office said. Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-NJ-22) assumed the role of acting governor after Oliver was hospitalized. Related article —Lt. Gov. Hospitalized, Senate President Named Acting NJ Governor

The governor "will be returning from Europe soon following the Lieutenant Governor’s passing," Communications Director Mahen Gunaratna told Patch on Tuesday afternoon.

Murphy said he, his wife Tammy, and their children "are incredibly saddened and distraught" in a statement Tuesday. Murphy added that selecting Oliver as his running mate in 2017 was "the best decision I ever made."

"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," Murphy said. "Beyond all of that, she was an incredibly genuine and kind person whose friendship and partnership will be irreplaceable."

Murphy will have 45 days to appoint a new lieutenant governor, according to the New Jersey Constitution (Article V, Section 1, paragraph 9).

Scutari, and a number of people who had worked with Oliver, also expressed their sorrow at her passing.

"This is a heartbreaking loss for all of us who knew and admired Sheila Oliver," Scutari said Tuesday. "She touched the lives of countless people as a dedicated public official who worked tirelessly to improve opportunities for others. She has a record of accomplishment that is unmatched."

Oliver was born and raised in Newark, and called East Orange home for more than 40 years. She previously served on the East Orange Board of Education, as well as the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Related article — Essex County Native Sheila Oliver Dies; NJ 'Hero' Had Deep Local Roots

She served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 to 2018, as a Democrat in the 34th legislative district. She was also the Assembly speaker for two terms, and in 2010 she became the first Black woman to serve as speaker in the Garden State.

Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio, who represents communities in Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties, said her sudden loss "is heartbreaking." DiMaio was elected in 2009, shortly before Oliver was elected Assembly Speaker.

"Despite holding the top spot in the Assembly, she remained a grounded leader who stood up for the concerns of her community," DiMaio said. "She was a force, but not forceful. She was a trailblazer who leaves a legacy of public service that is to be admired."

In 2017, Oliver also became the first woman of color elected to statewide office in New Jersey, when she became lieutenant governor. She is only the second lieutenant governor in the state's history, the position having been created in 2010.

Murphy also appointed Oliver to oversee the Department of Community Affairs. This state department oversees local government management and finance, community planning and development, housing production, and fire and building safety.

State Police Col. Patrick J. Callahan said he "vividly" remembers meeting Oliver for the first time, when she was on the Assembly Budget Committee and he was "a young sergeant assigned to assist with the State Police annual budget hearings."

Callahan said Oliver "was always a phenomenal supporter of the New Jersey State Police as an Assemblywoman and she certainly carried that advocacy for our agency over into her role as Lieutenant Governor."

Murphy and Oliver's family have asked that the public respect their privacy, as they grieve her loss.

Memorial arrangements will be announced "in due course," said Oliver's family, who said she "leaves behind a legacy of dedication, service, and inspiration."

"She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero," her family said.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said Oliver "was a trailblazer and an inspiration to us all" in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

"She could spend hours talking about the impact of a new housing development on a particular neighborhood or how a hospital program would provide meaningful care to people who previously lacked access," Platkin said. "She always cut through the nonsense and the politics and right to the core of an issue, right to what mattered."

Oliver has held memberships in the Women’s Political Caucus of NJ, the NAACP, and the Urban League.

She also served on the boards of several Essex County nonprofits, including the East Orange General Hospital Board of Trustees, the United Way, the Newark Coalition for Neighborhoods, the Newark Collaboration Group, the Rutgers-Newark Educational Opportunity Fund Advisory Council, the Global Women’s Leadership Collaborative of NJ, the Essex County and East Orange Committees on the Status of Women, Programs for Parents.

This article contains reporting from Patch's Eric Kiefer in Essex County.