Rare historic honor bestowed on late New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver

Late New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will lie in state in two government buildings this week — the first person in modern history to receive the honor in the state capitol.

Gov. Phil Murphy, 65, announced that the body of the 71-year-old trail-blazing politician — who died of an undisclosed illness Tuesday — will be placed in the State House in Trenton for public viewing Thursday, as well as at the Essex County Historic Courthouse on Friday in Newark, where Oliver was born.

“Together, we will honor and celebrate her remarkable contributions to the state she loved,” Murphy wrote on Twitter.

Oliver’s body will be escorted by the Honor Guard of the New Jersey State Police and the Honor Guard from the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.

Her funeral will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on August 12. Members of the public are invited, but her burial will be private.

“As we come together in shared mourning over the loss of our family member and friend Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, we will remember the legacy she leaves behind as a changemaker and trailblazer,” Murphy said Thursday.

“Together, we will honor and celebrate her remarkable contributions to the state she loved, recognizing the profound impact she had on the millions of people who call New Jersey home.”

Oliver, a Democrat, was the first black woman to hold her position. Before becoming lieutenant governor, she spent 16 years working in the state assembly and was the New Jersey legislature’s assembly speaker for four of those years.

She will be the first person in modern New Jersey history to lie in state at the state capitol, according to NJ.com.

Murphy, who returned early from a family vacation in Italy upon hearing about her death, ordered flags to be at half-staff to honor her.

Oliver died from an undisclosed illness after being admitted to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, on Monday.

Her family said in a statement: “She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero​.”