71 year old New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver has suddenly passed away on Tuesday due to an undisclosed medical issue.
This comes after Oliver had been rushed to the hospital just one day prior.
Governor Phil Murphy’s office announced that Oliver had been rushed to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston just one day before her death.
She had been serving as acting governor this week while Murphy took a family vacation in Italy.
Before becoming lieutenant governor in 2018, Oliver earned national recognition for being the first black woman to serve as speaker of the state assembly from 2010-2013.
She was also head of the Department of Community Affairs prior to taking office as lieutenant governor.
Oliver’s family released a statement following her death: “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. She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero.”
Governor Murphy mourned Oliver’s loss and said selecting her as his running mate in 2017 was “the best decision he ever made”.
He praised her decades long commitment to public service which included making history as both speaker of General Assembly and second Black woman nationwide to lead a state legislature house.
It goes without saying that there are those who are deeply saddened by news of Oliver’s passing—not only because it marks an enormous loss for the state but also because she broke ground for women throughout her career in politics.
