The New Student's Reference Work/Address, Forms of

Address, Forms of, the titles or ceremonious terms to be used in addressing written communications to people of high or official position. Usage in this country has sanctioned the employment of the following modes of address: His Excellency, The President of the United States. Custom has also made proper the use of the prefix His Excellency when addressing governors of states and ambassadors or ministers of the United States abroad. In conversation, or in formal oral address, the term Mr. President is used by all to the head of the nation, save by the President’s personal or intimate friends. The Vice-president is addressed by letter as The Honorable, The Vice-president of the United States, or The Hon. ——— ———, Vice-president of the United States. When the latter is acting as ex-officio presiding officer of the Senate he is addressed by the senators as Mr. President. Cabinet officers, senators and representatives of the United States, judges of state and federal courts and consuls are all entitled to the prefix Honorable, as The Hon. Senator A. B. Clark; The Hon. Mr. Justice, or The Hon. Judge Jones. Custom also permits the use of Honorable to mayors of cities, as The Hon. Mayor Smith, or The Hon. Lionel Smith, Mayor of the city of ————.

For church dignitaries the terms of address vary somewhat with the denomination. In the Protestant Episcopal church the bishop is addressed The Right Rev. ———; in the Methodist Church as The Rev. Bishop ———. Clergymen take the title The Rev. or simply Rev., adding any collegiate degrees to which they may be entitled, such as M.A., D.D., LL.D., etc., or in the case of a clergyman who has a doctorate degree he may be addressed simply: The Rev. Dr. ———. It is bad form, it may be added, to speak or write of a clergyman as Rev. Jones, Rev. Smith, etc. If his Christian name is not known, use invariably the prefix Mr. (Mister), as the Rev. Mr. Jones, etc. Archbishops are addressed: The Most Rev. ——— ———, D.D. (or whatever degree possessed of); while cardinals are addressed His Eminence ——— ———. Physicians and surgeons are addressed: Dr. ———, or Thomas Jones, Esq., M.D. Lawyers or private gentlemen may be addressed either ——— ———, Esq., or plain Mr. ———.

Where husband and wife are both addressed, it is proper to give the title of the former, followed by the word Mrs., using the given name or initials of the husband; thus: His Excellency, the President, and Mrs. McKinley; Governor and Mrs. Jonas Smith; or The Hon. and Mrs. J. L. Jones. In the case of scholastic titles or those conferred by universities they usually precede the name, thus: Prof. Harry Jones; Dr. Walker Brown, or may follow the name, thus: Goldwin Smith, Esq., D.C.L. (Doctor of Civil Law), or ——— ——— Esq., LL.D. (Doctor of Laws).