Remembering Sheila Oliver: Late NJ lieutenant governor honored in memorial service
NEWARK, N.J. - The celebration of the life and legacy of New Jersey trailblazer Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver comes to an end with a final farewell during a memorial service Saturday.
Oliver, the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New Jersey history, as well as the first Black woman to be Assembly speaker, died at the age of 71 after a hospital stay for an undisclosed medical issue.
Over the past two days, thousands have poured in to honor the late lieutenant governor as she laid in state at the statehouse rotunda in Trenton, then the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark.
An honor guard escorted her body to each location, accompanying her flag-draped casket for 12 hours at a time as the public and fellow lawmakers paid their respects.
Lt. Governor Oliver was eulogized by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Al Sharpton during a memorial service at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
In his eulogy, Governor Murphy said of Lt. Governor Oliver:
"She never settled for simply breaking one glass ceiling after another. No. Each time Sheila made history, she dedicated herself to breaking down barriers for everyone else—especially young women of color who share her story. And while she may have been my second-in-command as Lieutenant Governor, Sheila was nobody’s second fiddle.
Make no mistake about it: She was the first-rate fighter for every New Jerseyan.
But more than anything, Sheila Oliver was the pride and joy of Essex County."
Oliver, who was the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New Jersey history, as well as the first Black woman to be Assembly speaker, died after a hospital stay for an undisclosed medical issue. She was 71.
During her memorial service held Saturday, 18 different speakers eulogized the late Lt. Gov., praising her high standards in public life and her true and faithful friendships to many. Her family, including a niece and nephew, also offered high praise for her love and devotion to their family.
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"God Bless Sheila," Gov. Murphy said after a New Jersey State Police honor guard placed U.S. flag-draped casket near the state seal.
Murphy ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for a month and commissioned a portrait of her that he has said would hang in the statehouse
In addition to serving as Murphy’s top deputy, stepping in while he was out of the state, Oliver also oversaw the Department of Community Affairs, which coordinates state aid to towns and cities and supervises code enforcement.
Oliver served in the Assembly, where she was elected speaker in 2010. She served in that role until 2014, returning to the back benches when Murphy tapped her to be his running mate in 2017. They won the election that year and were reelected together in 2021.
She began her legislative career in 2003, when she won an Assembly seat in native Essex County. Before that she served on the Essex County board of chosen freeholders from 1996 to 1999.
Born and raised in Newark, she earned a sociology degree from Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University and had a master's degree in community organization from Columbia University.