Sheila Oliver

Sheila Oliver served as the lieutenant governor of New Jersey from 2018-2023, New Jersey's first Black lieutenant governor and the first woman of color elected to statewide office in the state.

Oliver was born on July 14, 1952, in Newark, New Jersey. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Lincoln University in 1974 and received her master's degree in planning and administration from Columbia University in 1976.

Oliver served on the Board of Education of the East Orange (N.J.) School District from 1994 to 2000, serving as vice president from 1998 to 1999. She was a member of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1996 to 1999. In 1997, she ran for mayor of East Orange, losing a close race in the general election. Oliver was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 to 2018, serving as speaker of assembly from 2010 to 2014. In 2013, she ran in the special election for the U.S. Senate seat held by Frank Lautenberg following his death, but lost in the primary.

Oliver died on August 1, 2023.