Grammatically Correct
8/26/09
A weekly grammar tip created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors. |
University of Houston-Victoria
3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, TX 77901 |
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Formally Addressing U.S. Federal Officials |
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It’s not every day you send a letter to the
President, or even to your senators, for that
matter. But you never know when the day may come
that you find yourself writing to one of your
federal representatives. The following is a condensed list
of how to correctly address a number of commonly
mentioned officials, both on envelopes and in the
salutations of formal correspondence. Each XY
stands for the full name of an official, while Y
indicates only a surname.
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Official |
Letter
Address |
Letter
Salutation |
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Unique
Titles |
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President |
The
President |
Dear Mr. or
Madam President: |
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Vice
President |
The Vice
President |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Vice President: |
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Chief
Justice |
The Chief
Justice |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Justice: or Dear Mr. or Madam
Chief Justice: |
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Associate
Justice |
Mr. or Madam
Justice XY |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Justice: |
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"The
Honorable" |
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Former
President |
The
Honorable XY |
Dear
Mr./Mrs./Ms. Y: |
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Cabinet
Members |
The
Honorable XY, The Secretary of _____ |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Secretary: |
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Attorney
General |
The
Honorable XY, The Attorney General |
Dear Sir or
Madam: or Dear Mr. or Madam
Attorney General: |
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Speaker of
the House |
The
Honorable XY, Speaker of the House |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Speaker: |
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U.S. Senator |
The
Honorable XY |
Dear Senator
Y: |
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U.S.
Representative |
The
Honorable XY |
Dear
Mr./Mrs./Ms. Y: |
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UN
Ambassador |
The
Honorable XY, US Ambassador to the UN |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Ambassador: |
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U.S.
Ambassador |
The
Honorable XY, Ambassador of the US |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Ambassador: |
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U.S.
Consul-General |
The
Honorable XY, American Consul General |
Dear
Mr./Mrs./Ms.Y: |
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Federal
Judge |
The
Honorable XY, Justice, Appellate
Division, Supreme Court of the State of
_______ |
Dear Judge
Y: |
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State
Governor |
The
Honorable XY, Governor of _______ |
Dear
Governor Y: |
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State
Legislators |
The
Honorable XY |
Dear
Mr./Mrs./Ms. Y: |
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Mayor |
The
Honorable XY/ His or Her Honor the Mayor |
Dear Mayor
Y: |
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"His or Her
Excellency" |
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Foreign
Ambassador |
His or Her
Excellency |
Excellency:
or Dear Mr. or Madam Ambassador: |
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Secretary-General of the UN |
His or Her
Excellency XY, Secretary-General of the
UN |
Dear Mr. or
Madam Secretary General: |
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The
Author
Sophia
Stevens is a 2009 graduate of Rice University with a
degree in English. She has worked at the Academic Center
before. She will be teaching English in Namibia for two
years before returning to write a memoir, because who
doesn't these days? For now, she is content to read them,
among other books, and to study and discuss all things
literary. |
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For
a comprehensive list of Federal and State titles,
this page contains an organized list of
addresses for all officials. You might also want to
check out this .pdf file from the
TX Directory. Its table includes formal
addresses for religious and military officials, as
well as for royalty you might encounter in many
European countries.
If you decide to contact a federal official, your
best bet is to use the internet to find the exact
mailing address you need.
Whitehouse.gov contains resources for contacting
the administration in Washington, DC. For Federal
officials, such as Congressmen and –women, searching
for your state’s official site (usually your state’s
abbreviation followed by “.gov”) will lead you to
resources and directories that will help you search
for the appropriate representatives. California, for
instance, provides a comprehensive
"Government" page which, with a little
navigating, will lead you to federal and state
contacts for any state. You should also be able to
find your state officials, such as the governor, at
your state’s official site. Local elected officials
like a mayor or member of the City Council are
easiest to find by searching for your city or
county’s website.
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Now that you know how
to address Federal officials in the U.S., why not
write to your mayor and propose that recycling
program you’ve been hoping to see funded in your
city? Or what about telling your state
representative in the Senate how you feel about the
upcoming vote on a particular bill? After all, the
best part about knowing how to contact your elected
officials is using that opportunity for
correspondence to voice your opinions..
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