Robert Hickey's Blog on How to Address US Federal Officials (original) (raw)

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Abbess, Christian Orthodox Abbot, Christian Orthodox Accountant Acting Official Adjutant General Admiral, Rear Alderman Archbishop, Catholic Archbishop, Christian Orthodox Archdeacon, Episcopal Archimandrite Architect Archpriest Ambassador to the U.S. from a foreign country Ambassador of the U.S. American Indian Chief Assemblyman U.S., State / or Assemblywoman Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice of a State Supreme Court Attorney Attorney General Australian Officials Baron, Baroness British Officials, Royalty, Nobility Brother, Catholic Brother, Christian Orthodox Bishop, Catholic Bishop, Christian Orthodox Bishop, Episcopal Board Member Boy Brigadier General Canadian Officials Candidate Captain, USA, USAF, USMC Cardinal Chairman Federal Reserve Chaplain in the Armed Services Chaplain of Congress Chargé d’Affaires Chief Executive Officer Chief Judge Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, of a State Supreme Court Chief of Police Chief of Staff Chief Operating Officer Child Clergy & Religious Officials Colonel, Kentucky Colonel, USA, USAF, or USMC Congressman, U.S. Congresswoman, U.S. Consul and or Consul General Commissioner Corporate Executive Councilman Councilwoman Counselor (Diplomat) Countess Couples Curator Dalai Lama Deacon Dean, academic Dean, clergy Deceased Persons Delegate, U.S., State Dentist Deputy Chief of Mission Deputy Marshal Designate, Elect, Pro Tempore Diplomats District Attorney Doctor of Dentistry Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Doctor of Osteopathy Doctor, Other Disciplines Doctorate Earl Elect, Designate Pro Tempore Eminence Etiquette Excellency First, Second, Third_, etc._ First Lady, Spouse of the President of the United States First Lady, Member of Her White House Staff First Lady, Spouse of a Governor or Lt. Gov. First Lieutenant Flag Protocol Former Officials Geshe General USA, USAF, USMC Girl Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Lt., Spouse Governor, Tribal Council Governor, U.S. State Governor, U.S. State Spouse of Governor's Staff, Member of Governors, Board of Honorable, The Honourable, The Indian Chief Introductions Invitations Writing & Addressing Invitations Military: Writing & Addressing Judge of US City or US Count Judge, US Federal Junior, Senior, I, II, III, etc. Justice, Associate Federal Supreme Court Justice, Associate State Supreme Court King Knight Late, The (deceased persons) Lawyer Lieutenant Lieutenant Colonel, USA, USAF, USMC Lieutenant General, USA, USAF, USMC Lieutenant Governor Major USA, USAF, USMC Major General, USA, USAF, USMC Man, business Man, social Marquess or Marchioness Married Women Marshal for a Judicial District, U.S. Mayor of a U.S. City Medic Minister, Protestant Clergy Miss Monk, Christian Orthodox Monsignor Most Reverend, The Mother Superior Mr. Mrs. Mr. & Mrs. / Couples Ms. Name Tags Nobility, British Nobility, Other Nun, Catholic Nun, Orthodox Nurse Officer, Police Pastor, Christian Clergy Patriarch, Christian Orthodox Patriarch, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople People with Two Titles Petty Officer Physician PhD Place Cards Police Chief Police Officer Pope, Catholic Pope, Coptic Postmaster General Post-Nominal Abbreviations Presbyter, Orthodox President, corporate President of College or University President of a US State Assembly President of the U.S.A. President of the U.S.A., former (President of the U.S.) Member of The White House Staff President of the U.S., spouse of President-elect of the U.S. Priest, Catholic Priest, Christian Orthodox Prime Minister Professionals & Academics Professor Pro Tempore, Elect, Designate Queen Rabbi Ranger, Texas Representative, U.S., Federal Representative, U.S., State Resident Commissioner Retired Officers Armed Servicese Reverend, The Right Reverend, The School Board Member Second Lieutenant Secretary, U.S. Department, Member of the Cabinet Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary General of the U.N. Senator, U.S., Federal Senator, U.S., State Senator, Canadian Senior, Junior, I, II, III, etc. Senior Judge Sergeant Sergeant at Arms Sheriff Sister, Catholic Solicitor General Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Specialist Spouse of the President of the U.S. Spouse of the Vice President of the U.S. Surgeon General Texas Ranger The Honorable Tribal Officials US Federal Officials US State Officials US Municipal Officials Venerable, The Veterinarian Very Reverend, The Vice President of the U.S. Spouse of the Vice President of the U.S. Vice President-elect of the U.S. Viscount and/or Viscountess Warrant Officer Widow White House Staff Woman, business Woman, social
How to Address / Forms of AddressUnited States Federal OfficialsQuestions & Answers, Frequently Asked Questions, and BlogSite updated by Robert Hickey on May 3, 2011
How to Address "President Obama"? How to Address The Vice President? How to Address The Vice President as President of the Senate? How to Introduce the The Speaker of the House and The President-elect of the United States? How to Address the White House Chief of Staff?How to Address The Attorney General? How to Address a Deputy Secretary? How to Address a Deputy Assistant Secretary? How to Address Two Senators in a Salutation? How Do I Address My Congressman? Why Do We Address a Congressman as "Mr./Ms. (Name)"? How Do I Address the Director of the CIA? How Do I Address a Federal Inspector General? How Do I Address a Member of the Senior Executive Service? How Do I Address a Judge? How to Address a Friend of the Court? How to Address an Official Who is Also a Physician? How to Address an Acting High Federal Official? How to Address an Official Elected but Not Sworn In?
Looking for Joint Forms of Address? (Two Names in the Address)Link to Q&A just on Joint Forms of Address How Do I Address a Former (Non-Military) Official?Link to Q&A just on Former Officials (e.g., government, non-military) All about The HonorableLink to Q&A just on officials in the U.S. addressed as The Honorable
How to Address a Deputy Assistant Secretary? Is a political appointee Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense an “Honorable”? Thanks. -- Alfred Loren SmithDear Mr. Smith: I include in my book on pages 78 and 79 a full list of which positions are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate ... and while a Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary are President Appointed/Senate approved ... a Deputy Assistant Secretary is only Presidentially appointed .... and by that criteria would not be addressed as "The Honorable." -- Robert Hickey May I Use SES As A Post-Nominal Abbreviation? Some of our association members are retired from the Senior Executive Service (SES). Is there any title for them? For example .... John Smith, SES (Ret.) Maybe? -- DF Dear DF: I have not seen SES used as a post-nominal abbreviation. It would be used after the name in an introduction .. e.g., "Our speaker to day is Edmund Burns, a member of the Senior Executive Service and ...." However everyone who is SES has (or had in the case of retired SES) a specific job and job title and it would be appropriate to note that person is a "former (whatever position they held)." -- Robert Hickey How to Address The Vice President as The President of the Senate? I am preparing a letter to the VP in his role as President of the Senate to be signed by our CEO. For addressing the letter, would I use the protocol for addressing him as The Vice President, Old Executive Office Building, Washington, DC; Dear Mr. Vice President or as President of the Senate? If it should be as President of the Senate, would he be addressed as The Honorable Joseph Biden? I refer to your Web site often and find it very helpful – thank you very much for any assistance you can give me. -- Pat at MCC in DC Dear Pat: There is always a flurry of comments in the media when they pick up that The President of the United States addresses The Vice President presiding as The President of the Senate at the State of the Union Address as Mr. President. But he is absolutely correct in doing so, because in that room The Vice President is Mr. President of the Senate. George Bush one year addressed Dick Cheney as Mr. Vice President and the protocol professionals went into meltdown mode. I include that form of address on page 168 of my book. The envelope to the Vice President as President of the Senate is addressed to The Vice President at his/her Senate office on Capitol Hill: The Vice President United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The salutation is to the Vice President in his capacity as President of the Senate is: Dear Mr. President: If the letter is to him or her as the Vice President it goes to The Old Executive Office Building ... the salutation is to: Dear Mr. Vice President This is consistent with the American tradition that we give an official just one title at a time ...but address a person who he or she is to us at that moment. -- Robert HickeyMr. Hickey This is HUGELY helpful, thank you very much and yes, I will order your book. We were close to getting it all right except for the envelope, so glad you included that info – thanks again, Pat How to Address The Vice President? I am going to meet Joe Biden, The Vice President. What should I call him when I do? -- Lloyd Greene in DCDear Mr. Greene: The holders of the highest offices in our government are addressed as Mr. (Office) or Madame (Office)... not by their name. So simply call him Mr. Vice President. You might hear The Vice President referred to as Vice President Biden in the media, but this is used to identify The Vice President in the third person or in a news story, not the most formal form of direct address. I include written and spoken forms of address for The Vice President (and spouse) on pages 169-170 of my book. -- Robert Hickey How to Address an Acting Official ? I think I have looked through all the relevant places on your site and have been unable to find the answer to this question: How does one address a letter to an "Acting" Deputy Attorney General? In particular, does one refer to him as "Honorable" - I believe that "Honorable" is used for all presidential appointees; however, the current Deputy Attorney General is "Acting" (i.e. named by the Attorney General to the position until the President's nominee gets confirmed by the Senate). **-- Anup Sanjay**Dear Mr. Sanjay: 1) Acting officials are not always in the job pending their appointment for the job. Sometimes they are in the position until a permanent appointment is made. You say this is the case here: he's acting until the President's nominee is confirmed. Around the government, It's not unusual for an type of office to be filled with both officials who are The Honorable and those not addressed as The Honorable. 2) There is an exception: unconfirmed cabinet-level officials ... acting secretary, secretary ad-interim, and secretary designates ... are addressed as The Honorable. So it would apply to the corresponding attorneys general too. However, I know of no source that says the courtesy is offered to any pre-confirmation office holder below the cabinet level. I include a list of the offices addressed as The Honorable in my book on page 78. So, for an acting deputy who pending appointment .... he or she would not be The Honorable until appointment and confirmation are complete. Until then he's "Mr./Ms." To double check .... I've looked it up in several books I have, including the brand new one by Ambassador Mary Mel French, United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette, and all say the same .... cabinet / yes .... below cabinet / no. 3) There have been cases where an appointee had been elected to an office in a general election .... and was The Honorable from before ... so in that case he or she would already be The Honorable and not have to wait. -- Robert Hickey How to Address a US Representative-Elect? How would I address someone elected to the House of Representatives, but not yet sworn in? -- Mike, VR Dear Mike, VR, A representative-elect is addressed in writing as The Honorable (First Name) (Surname) and in coversation as ... Mr./Ms./etc. (Surname) I have that form on page 182 of my book. Officials become the Honorable once elected. It's traditional on Capitol Hill that members of the House address one another as "Mr/Ms. (Surname)." While you hear members of the House referred to as "Congressman (Surname)" or "Representative (Surname)" in the media, neither is traditionally the correct form of direct address. -- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Federal Inspector General? There are two ways to be appointed as a Federal Inspector General; either by presidential appointment with Senate confirmation -OR- by appointment by the head of your agency. In the IG Act, the latter is known as a “designated Federal entity” as opposed to the former being regarded as an “establishment”. (See Inspector General Act, 5 U.S.C. app.5.) Is it appropriate to address both types of appointed IGs (who perform the functions of IG equally) as “ The Honorable.” _-- Madelyn Dean_Dear Ms. Dean: Having two categories of office holders in the same office is not uncommon: * Most sheriffs are elected, but some are appointed ... only the elected sheriffs are "The Honorable" .... * Same situation with clerks of courts, school boards, various commissioners, and chiefs of police. So ... Presidential appointment + Senate confirmation: The Honorable Kevin White Other than that: Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. etc, Kevin White -- Robert Hickey How to Address Two Senators in a Salutation? On your website, you covered how to address two married Honorables, but in a letter if they are both Senators, would the salutation of the letter be as follows: Dear Senator Smith and Senator Smith, OR Dear Senators Smith, _-- Mary in Dallas_Dear Mary: In a salutation combining honorifics is typical; Dear Drs. Smith, Dear Professors Smith, Dear Pastors Smith, I don't imagine there are many Senators married to another Senator ... the best option is: Dear Senators Smith, -- Robert Hickey Why Do We Address Members of the US House of Representatives as "Mr./Ms. (Name)"? Why do we address Members of the U.S. House of Representatives on the greeting line as Dear Mr./Ms. (Name) instead of Dear Representative (Name)? Are both ways appropriate? _-- Working @ Connecticut Avenue and K Street_Dear WACAAKS: On Capital Hill members of the House address one another as Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr./etc. Traditionally members of the House use whatever the highest honorific to which they are entitled on their own. I show the all the forms of address for members of the House of Representatives on pages 180-181. All around the world lower houses of governments routinely follow the British model: e.g. members of the House of Commons in Parliament London, Ottawa, and everywhere else are all simply Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr./etc. The media uses "Representative Williams" or sometimes "Congressman Williams" as shorthand to refer to The Honorable Thomas Williams, Member of the United States House of Representatives from the 3rd District of New Mexico which would be the formal form of address -- and is a mouthful! Sometimes you will hear "Representative Williams" or "Congresswoman Williams" to clarify to the listener who is being introduced. Those members of the House who prefer "Congressman/woman" or "Representative" don't want to their rank to be missed! Members of the Senate with their Senator Brown have it a bit easier! -- Robert Hickey How Do I Address My Congressman? Dear Mr. Hickey:I am a student writing a letter to my representative to the US House. I was wondering how I should address him Dear Congressman Murphy, or Dear Christopher Murphy, or something else. Need the answer soon. Thank you. _--- Rick Caffi_Dear Mr. Caffi: Address the letter to your Representative as The Honorable (full name). The salutation is Dear Mr. (Surname): Congressman is not formally used as an honorific. -- Robert Hickey
Is The President Addressed as "President (name)"? Dear Mr. Hickey: I have been directing people to refer to the president as "President Obama." Is that correct or am I confused? Any advice? _--- Anna McDonald, Stafford, Virginia_Dear Ms. McDonald: We hear President Obama on the TV and radio all the time ... but those are references to him in the third person, not in the first person (direct address). In direct address the tradition is: The President’s name is never used in his or her presence. Here is how the President of the United States is correctly addressed. (I show all the forms for The President, former Presidents, and President-elect on pages 165--167 of my book.): Address the envelope: The President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500For the letter's salutation: Dear Mr. President:In conversation, address The President as: Mr. President -- Robert Hickey How to Introduce the The Speaker of the House and The President-elect of the United States ?January 6, 2009Dear Sir: A quick question for you… President-Elect Barack Obama will be meeting with the Speaker. In making an introduction, I think it would be appropriate to introduce Obama to Pelosi, given that the Speaker’s current position takes precedence. Would you agree? Obama is not yet the President, but he is no longer Senator. Would it be appropriate to say the following, “Madam Speaker, I would like to introduce to you Senator Obama, President-Elect of the United States.” _--- KB on Capitol Hill_Dear KB:Yes, the Speaker has higher precedence in the introduction, President-elect is not on precedence lists -- but "Senator" is ... and a Senator is lower than Speaker of the House. The wording you suggest sounds good. Or you could say "Madame Speaker may I present the President-elect" or "Madame Speaker may I present the President-elect of the United States" Since you address her by her office, maybe it's a elegant to identify him by his? She knows he's Senator Obama. -- Robert Hickey How Do I Address the Director of the CIA? Dear Mr. Hickey:I am addressing a letter to the Director of the CIA. I know I would address it The Honorable (First name) + (Last name), but what is the salutation? Dear Director (Last name)? Dear Secretary (Last name)? _--- Theresa Schnipper_Dear Ms. Schnipper: Yes ... the Director of the CIA is The Honorable (full name). The salutation is Dear Mr. (Surname): He's not a "Secretary" ... and "Director" is not used as an honorific -- Commissioners do use Commissioner (surname) and a Chairman of a Board (like the Federal Reserve) is addressed as Mr./Madame Chairman:, but while you may hear the title used in the third person (e.g. someone saying The Director will be here in 20 minutes) "directors" don’t’ formally use “director” as an honorific. I include a list of offices addressed as "The Honorable" on pages 78-79 of my book. -- Robert HickeyHow Do I Address a Judge? Dear Mr. Hickey:I have been asked to write a letter to a judge. Having been out of school a while, my skill is very rusty. Specifically, I need to know the salutation, how to address him in the body of the letter, and an appropriate closing with respect to his status. _--- Roger Faust_Dear Mr. Faust: Address the envelope to the Judge as The Honorable (Full name). In the letter's address block use The Honorable (Full name). The salutation is Dear Judge (Surname): An appropriate closing would be Sincerely, -- Robert Hickey**How to Address the White House Chief of Staff?**Dear Mr. Hickey: I am sending a formal invitation to several government officials. How would I address an envelope to The White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel? -- Melanie Schaeffer, Moline, IllinoisDear Ms. Schaeffer: The White House Chief of Staff is addressed as "The Honorable." So Rahm Emanual is addressed as: The Honorable Rahm Emanual Chief of Staff The White House (Address) As it happens, Rahm Emanual is already an “Honorable” since he was he was elected to the House of Representatives, but he doesn’t get “Honorable” twice! -- Robert HickeyHow to Address the Attorney General?Dear Mr. Hickey, I have a very serious legal matter which requires contacting the US Attorney General Eric Holder. Can you tell me the correct salutation to use in an E-mail? -- Paula RothDear Ms.Roth, I have some basics on the Attorney General page on this site already. See that page. Regarding electronic communications -- When addressing a high official in an E-mail you should use the same correct forms of address you would use in a letter. Address him as Mr. Attorney General in every instance ... until he says _"Please call me Eric."_ -- Robert HickeyHow to Do You Address a Friend of the Court? How do you address the Friend of the Court? -- TomDear Tom: A Friend of the Court is a role, not an official office like an elected or appointed judge, sheriff, or member of a city council ... all of which get special forms of address. Address using the formula for a private citizen: (Appropriate honorific) + (Their name) and simply then identify by (office) when identification is appropriate. Friend of the Court wouldn't be used before the name as an honorific. For example: In conversation: Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr./Pastor/etc. (name) In an introduction: Judge Wilson, may I present Mr./Ms./Dr./Pastor/etc. (name), who is a Friend of the Court ... -- Robert HickeyHow to Address a U.S. Deputy Secretary? How do I address a U.S. Deputy Secretary of State? In the salutation of a letter, as well as mailing address? -- Law office in DallasDear Dallas, U.S. Deputy Secretaries of all the departments are all appointed by The President and approved by the Senate .... so all are "The Honorable" While they would be identified as a "Deputy Secretary" they don't have a special "title" so go by "Mr./Ms." and are then identified in an introduction as "The Deputy Secretary of State (for ....)" Deputy Secretaries sometimes have "an interest area" they are in charge of .... but not always. The Honorable Megan Wilson Deputy Secretary of State ("interest area" if it's included...) U.S. Department of State (Address) Dear Ms. Wilson: -- Robert Hickey
How to Address an Elected Official Who Is an MD? How would you address verbally and in written form for a governor who is a doctor?In Alabama, we have Dr. Robert Bentley who is the incoming Governor and I need to change out the name on a website. Governor Dr. Robert Bentley just doesn’t ring right to me. My best guess is Governor Robert Bentley without the ‘Dr.’ with my next guess as Governor Robert Bentley, MD since he was a medical doctor. -- Luke Dear Luke: The traditions in the USA are ... 1) We give a person just one honorific OR courtesy title 2) We never use a courtesy title or honorific AND a post nominal ... it's either / or 3) We use the highest courtesy/honorific they are entitled to. For example .... you may see: The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., PhD However the correct forms are: The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr., PhD Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King Check out "The King Center" in Atlanta ... they do it all correctly. So .... most traditionally, and most formally your governor's name might be written as all of these ... following rules #1 and #2 .... The Honorable Robert Bentley, Governor of the State of Alabama The Honorable Robert Bentley Governor Robert Bentley Governor Bentley Robert Bentley, MD Dr. Robert Bentley Dr. Bentley ... and when you take into account #3 he is only the four. There are only 50 US governors ... lots more doctors, so governor is higher. It could be that the incoming governor had a personal preference to be addressed as "Dr." ... and if so, all should honor that personal preference, but it doesn't change the basic rules ... it just means we follow the individuals preference when addressing that individual. -- Robert Hickey How to Address an US Senator Who is a "Dr."? How do I address an envelope to a couple? I know she uses "Mrs. (his name)"; He is a doctor and also a US Senator? -- Mrs. Justine ShumanDear Mrs. Shuman: "Senator" is higher office than "Dr." ... and in the US our tradition is that we only give one honorific/courtesy title at a time ... and we give the highest one the person is entitled to use. So a Senator who is a Dr. and his wife would be as follows Envelope: The Honorable Henry Wilson and Mrs. Wilson (Address) Salutation: Dear Senator Wilson and Mrs. Wilson: However, there are some individuals who have a different preference. For example, Bill Frist, a US Senator from Tenessee preferred to be addressed in conversation as "Dr. Frist". While some would point out that there are only 100 Senators ... but there are perhaps a million doctors ... and it would note his greater achievement being a "Senator." BUT it was not his preference ... so everyone addressed him as "Dr. Frist" But other Senators who were also medical doctors or who held academic doctorates .... all continued to be addressed as "Senator (surname)". So the rules remain the same ... but we address each person as they prefer to be addresses .... and the rules remain. -- Robert Hickey
**Not Finding Your Question Answered?**Below are other topics covered in my blog. If you don't see your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply and if I think It would be of interest to others, I will post the question and the answer with all the names and personal specifics removed. -- Robert HickeyUSE OF NAMES & HONORIFICS Mr., Miss, Jr., III, & Names Married Women Deceased Persons People with Two TitlesPost-Nominal Abbreviations and Initials Joint Forms of Address (How do you write two names?) USE OF SPECIFIC OFFICIAL TITLES Former Officials Professionals and Academics United States Federal Officials United States State Officials United States Municipal Officials All About The Honorable with U.S. Officials Former United States Officials United States Armed Services Retired U.S. Armed Service Officers Tribal Officials Clergy and Religious Officials Canadian Officials Australian Officials British Officials, Royalty, and Nobility Diplomats and International Representatives Foreign National Officials and Nobility SPECIFIC SITUATIONS Etiquette Flags: Traditions and Protocol Introductions Invitations: Writing & Addressing Invitations: Just Armed Service Personnel Name Tags Names on Programs, Signs, & Lists Place Cards Precedence: Ordering Officials Thank You Notes Site updated by Robert Hickey on May 3, 2011
Back to Main Page of the Robert Hickey's BLOG Robert Hickey is the author of Honor & Respect: The Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address_Published by The Protocol School of Washington®Foreword by Pamela Eyring_Copyright © 2011 Robert Hickey. All Rights Reserved.Book Photo: Marc Goodman.
All information on www.formsofaddress.info is copyright © 2011 by Robert Hickey.The Protocol School of Washington® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.Honor & Respect is dedicated to Dorothea Johnson, Founder of The Protocol School of Washington®