Born in Bessemer, Alabama, Oliver received a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of Wooster in 1969 and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 1972.

[1][2] He earned a Master of Arts in political science from Case Western Reserve University in 1974.

[2] Oliver then clerked for Judge William H. Hastie of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1975 to 1976.

Following his clerkship, he worked as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, becoming chief of the civil division in 1978.

Senator Sherrod Brown said, "Judge Oliver served our nation honorably and helped make the city of Cleveland a fairer, more just place to live.