New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver Dead at 71 After Brief Hospitalization While Serving as Acting Governor

Oliver was serving as the state's acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy is out of the country on a family vacation in Italy

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver died Tuesday after being hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, according to a statement released by her family. She was 71.

"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," the statement reads. "She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero."

Oliver, a Democrat, has served as the state’s second lieutenant governor since 2018. She was serving as the state's acting governor while Gov. Phil Murphy is out of the country on a family vacation in Italy. He is set to return to office Aug. 13.

In a statement posted to X, Murphy said that he and his family were " incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend, colleague, and partner in government."

"When I selected her to be my running mate in 2017, Lieutenant Governor Oliver was already a trailblazer in every sense of the word," Murphy continued. "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."

Beyond her professional capabilities, Murphy touted Oliver as "an incredibly genuine and kind person whose friendship and partnership will be irreplaceable."

Oliver made history when she became the first African American woman to serve as speaker of the New Jersey Assembly in 2010.

In addition to serving as lieutenant governor, she also served as the head of the Department of Community Affairs, which oversees code enforcement in the state.

New Jersey's state Senate President Nicholas Scutari, also a Democrat, has been acting in Oliver's place since she entered the hospital, as mandated by the constitution.

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