New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver dies at 71

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, the first Black woman Assembly speaker in the state’s history and the second to lead a legislative chamber in the country, has died.

She was 71.

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver has passed away

Oliver passed away suddenly on Tuesday, her family announced in a statement.

“Sheila Y. Oliver leaves behind a legacy of dedication, service, and inspiration,” the statement read. “We will remember her commitment to the people of New Jersey and her tireless efforts to uplift the community.”

A cause of death was not revealed, but Oliver had long-term health problems that she had kept private.

On Monday, the governor’s office announced that Oliver was rushed to the hospital on Monday.

Before her untimely death, Oliver had been serving as acting governor with Gov. Phil Murphy on vacation. Democratic Senate President, Nicholas Scutari, took over as acting governor when Oliver was rushed to the hospital Monday.

She was a history maker and trailblazer

In addition to her role as lieutenant governor, Oliver was the head of the Department of Community Affairs, a state agency in charge of housing and community development.

Oliver served in the Assembly from 2004 to 2018 before she transitioned to the lieutenant governor’s position. She was Assembly speaker from 2010 to 2014 under the leadership of Gov. Chris Christie.

Oliver is being remembered as a trailblazer who will be sorely missed.

“When I selected her to be my running mate in 2017, Lieutenant Governor Oliver was already a trailblazer in every sense of the word,” Gov. Murphy said in a statement.

“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.”