Address, Form of

From Encyclopediak

Address, Forms of, the titles used in addressing written communications to persons in official position or in high rank. Much greater formality is observed in monarchial countries than in the United States. The Constitution of the United States forbids any title being conferred upon the president, but usage has sanctioned the following form of address: His Excellency, the President of the United States. His Excellency is also sanctioned when addressing the governor of a state and ambassadors and ministers of the United States in foreign countries. The vice-president may be addressed as The Honorable ———————, Vice-President of the United States. In discharge of his duties as president of the Senate, he is addressed by members as Mr. President. It is customary to prefix Hon. to the address of a mayor of a city, members of Congress and members of state Legislatures, also to judges of courts. Members of the Supreme Court of the United States are usually addressed as Mr. Justice.

In addressing persons of professional rank, it is customary to prefix the abbreviation indicating their profession to the name, as Dr. ———, Rev. ———, Prof. ———. The name may be followed by the degrees which the person bears, as Rev. Thomas Brown, D.D., LL.D. When more than one degree is added, the degrees should follow in the order of rank.