Forms of Address and Salutations to Federal and State Officials
Last update: March 5, 2009Carlos A. Diaz
Source of information for the table below is the: World Almanac, 2005. Page 727.
Take a look at the Order of Precedence for U.S. government officials from the City of New York's Office of the Mayor.
For other forms of address and salutations, go to the National Institutes of Health site on Help with Writing Official Correspondence.
You can also find the addresses and the forms of address for former living U.S. Presidents . You can also find the forms of address (pages 17 - 38) for U.S. government officials as published by the Office of the Chief of Protocol from Volume 5, Handbook 1 of the Foreign Affairs Handbook.
To compose wedding invitations for military personnel, go to
eHow.com
for information.
| Government Official: | Address: | Salutation: |
| President of the U.S.: | The President, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500; also, The President and Mrs. _____ or The President and Mr. ______ | Dear Sir or Madam; Mr. President or Madam President; Dear Mr. President or Dear Madam President |
| U.S. Vice President: | The Vice President, the White House, Washington, D.C. 20500; also, The Vice President and Mrs. ______ or The Vice President and Mr. ______ | Dear Sir or Madam; Mr. Vice President or Madam Vice President; Dear Mr. Vice President or Dear Madam Vice President |
| Chief Justice: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, Chief Justice of the U.S., The Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. 20543 | Dear Sir or Madam; Dear Mr. or Madam Chief Justice |
| Associate Justice: | The Hon. Justice Firstname Surname, The Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. 20543 | Dear Sir or Madam; Dear Justice Surname |
| Judge: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, Associate Justice, U.S. District Court | Dear Judge Surname |
| Attorney General: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, Attorney General, Dept. of Justice, Constitution Ave. & 10th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20530 | Dear Sir or Madam; Dear Mr. or Ms. Attorney General |
| Cabinet Officer: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, Secretary of ______ | Dear Mr. or Madam Secretary; or Dear Mr. or Ms. Surname |
| Senator: | The Hon. or Sen. Firstname Surname, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 | Dear Mr. or Madam Senator; or Dear Mr. or Ms. Surname |
| Representative: | The Hon. or Rep. Firstname Surname, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515 | Dear Mr. or Madam Surname |
| Speaker of the House: | The Hon. Speaker of the House of Representatives, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515 | Dear Mr. or Madam Speaker |
| Ambassador, U.S.*: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, American Ambassador | Dear Sir or Madam; or Dear Mr. or Madam Ambassador |
| Ambassador, Foreign**: | His or Her Excellency ** Firstname Surname, Ambassador of ________ | Excellency **; Dear Mr. or Madam Ambassador |
| Governor: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, of State; or in some states, His or Her Excellency, the Governor of State | Sir or Madam; Dear Governor Surname |
| Mayor: | The Hon. Firstname Surname, Mayor of City | Sir or Madam; Dear Mayor Surname |
| Military Personnel (all titles): |
Full or abbreviated rank + Full name + comma + abbreviation for branch of service. Example: Adm. John Smith, USN | Dear Rank Surname |
| Clergy, Protestant: | The Reverend Firstname Surname*** | Dear Rank Surname |
| Pope: | His Holiness Pope Name or His Holiness the Pope | Your Holiness or Most Holy Father |
| Priest: | The Reverend Firstname Surname or the Reverend Father Surname | Reverend Father, Dear Father Surname, or Dear Father |
| Rabbi: | Rabbi Firstname Surname | Dear Rabbi Surname |
| King/Queen: | His or Her Majesty, King or Queen of Country | Sir or Madam, or May it Please Your Majesty |
* If in Canada or Latin America, The Ambassador of the United States of America.
** An American Ambassador is not properly addressed as His or Her Excellency.
*** A member of the Protestant clergy who has a doctorate may be addressed; for example, The Reverend Firstname Surname, DD,and Dear Dr. Surname.