Sheila Oliver was the first Black woman Assembly speaker in state history and and the first Black woman in New Jersey to hold statewide elected office. | Matt Rourke/AP Photo
By Ry Rivard and Daniel Han
08/02/2023 05:00 PM EDT
Sheila Oliver rose out of local politics in the Democratic stronghold of Essex County to the height of power in New Jersey — often championing progressive causes later embraced by the state.
Oliver, who died this week at age 71, was the first Black woman Assembly speaker in state history and the second to lead a legislative chamber in the country before becoming Gov. Phil Murphy’s lieutenant governor. In that role she was the first Black woman in New Jersey to hold statewide elected office.
During her four years as speaker, from 2010 to 2014, she was perhaps the most powerful progressive in state government while Republican Gov. Chris Christie was governor and centrist Democrat Steve Sweeney was Senate president. As New Jersey’s third most powerful elected official, Oliver helped steer the direction of the state — crafting budgets, determining what legislation did or did not get voted on and shaping committee assignments in her chamber.
At times, Oliver was the only woman in the room, said former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg.
“She had to deal with what was sometimes a tough environment in New Jersey to be progressive and move issues forward when she was in that backroom,” Weinberg said. “She functioned in a difficult world and she did it...
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