The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, Sheila Oliver, dies at 71

Kelly Taylor

Sheila Oliver, the lieutenant governor of New Jersey, was a pioneering political figure who recently passed away, as per her family and the governor's office.

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Sheila Olive, the political figure

Ms. Oliver, a Democrat and longtime resident of East Orange, New Jersey, was chosen in 2017 as Gov. Philip D. Murphy's running partner after serving for 15 years in the Assembly.

Who was Sheila?

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Oliver, 71, was given a hospital admission on Monday for an unidentified condition. Gov. Phil Murphy was away on vacation when she took over as acting governor.

Admitted to hospital

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She handed acting governor duties to Senate President Nick Scutari because she was unable to carry out her duties.

Handed over her duties

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As soon as Oliver was taken to the hospital on Monday, the Democratic Senate President, Nicholas Scutari, assumed over as acting governor.

Nicholas Scutari, assumed governor

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Since 2018, Oliver has been New Jersey's second-in-command.

Second-in-command

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She created history by being the second Black woman in American history to preside over a house of a state legislature and the first Black female Assembly speaker.

First Black female speaker

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She was chosen as Murphy's running companion, he claimed, because of her background.

Murphy’s running campaign

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Sheila’s death was sudden and very recent; that’s why her cause of death remains unknown yet.

Cause of death

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"Sheila will be missed. In my first term, she was the Speaker, and we were cordial to one another," explained Christie. She was a wonderful spouse and person.

Sheila will be missed

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