How to Address a County Engineer?

For an elected county engineer, would you use The Honorable on the envelope? For example, would this proper if you were an elected county engineer?
The Honorable Robert Hickey
Lake County Engineer
Address
                 – G.L.G. in Lake County

Dear Mr. G.L.G.:
      The form you have looks O.K. if the county engineer is elected in a general election (like a mayor or member of the US House of Representatives).
Since I have not run into many The Honorable county engineers – it brings to mind one caveat I should mention about city officials.  Many municipalities do not address elected officials below the rank of mayor as The Honorable.
For example, I now live in New York City and all the members of the New York City Council are addressed as The Honorable (Full Name).  But I was brought up in Arlington, Virginia, and there none of the members of the Arlington County Board are so addressed.
So before you proceed, check for the local tradition. It’s less a matter of what’s technically correct than what the particular county, city, or town traditionally does.
                 – Robert Hickey

Can I fly Our Company Flag Alone? Or Must I Fly the American Flag too?

My company has a single flagpole in front of its building.  Can we fly our company flag alone, or do we have to fly the American flag too?
                 – David Musgrave

Dear Mr. Musgrave:
      You can fly your company flag alone. When flown with the American flag, the American flag is on top.
                 – Robert Hickey

What is the Correct Order for My Academic Degree & License?

I will soon be a Registered Paralegal and able to use the post nominals R.P. with my name. Which post nominals come first?  I earned my M.S. in 1989, and the R.P. is a national test a la the C.P.A. exam.
       – RK Gill

Dear RK Gill:
      The order is: first academic post nominals; then license post nominals.
So if you are going to use both, that would be: (Full Name). M.S., R.P.
This is the same order a Register Nurse would use: (Full Name). M.S., R.N.
                 – Robert Hickey

How to Address A Canadian Prime Minister?

How to I address an invitation to the Prime Minister of Canada and his wife Laureen Harper??
– Sarah

Dear Sarah:
    In this case since his wife uses the same last name it would be:
 The Right Honorable Stephen Harper
and Mrs. Harper
Address
The inside envelope would be
        Prime Minister and Mrs. Harper
I have a full chapter in my book on Canadian forms of address should this sort of question come up often. I have all the forms of address for the Prime Minister of Canada on page 301.
                 – Robert Hickey

How to Address A Canadian Mayor?

I am sending A wedding invitation to the mayor of my town (I live in Canada). His name is Mark Garrett. How to I write his name on the envelope?
– Sarah

Dear Sarah:
        I have a chapter in my book just on Canadian officials which starts on page 295. Canadian mayors are addressed in the style of their British counterparts. There are two forms and now knowing which is one used in your community I will give you both:
   The Right Worshipful the Mayor of (city/town)
Mark Garrett
Address
or
 The Worshipful Mayor of (city/town)
Mark Garrett
Address
Do include his name as noted. Invitations are directed to a person, not to just an office, since presumably invitations are social (or at least have a social appearance).
Inside envelope would be:
Mayor Garrett
                 – Robert Hickey

How to Address A Town or City Manager?

The address for a town manager? – Alicia R. Dear J.J.D.:         You are questioner of few words!  Normally people write paragraphs and paragraphs and I have to figure out exactly what it is they actually want. A town manager doesn’t have a special form of address. Just use Mr./Ms. (name) and identify them by their office. For example:   Ms. Sandra Wilson                Town Manager                 County Office Building                  203 Rowe Street, Suite 123                  Hendersonville, TN 34567.        – Robert Hickey
	How to Address An Appointed Court Commissioner? In my practice in Utah and California, court commissioners are hired by the judges and are thus court employees serving by contract or at the pleasure of the judges, and they do not go through the political process of nomination by the governor or approval by a branch of the state legislature, so they don’t have all of the powers of judges – the judges delegate some powers and decision-making authority to them. In court, the custom is to refer to commissioners as ‘Your Honor’ just as a judge, but my question is whether a commissioner is properly referred to as ‘the Honorable’ in correspondence and court orders.  Something tells me that since they’re a bit lower on the pecking order, they’re not.  I’d appreciate any insight you might have as an expert in the area. – J.J.D. in Salt Lake City

How to Address An Appointed Court Commissioner?

In my practice in Utah and California, court commissioners are hired by the judges and are thus court employees serving by contract or at the pleasure of the judges, and they do not go through the political process of nomination by the governor or approval by a branch of the state legislature, so they don’t have all of the powers of judges – the judges delegate some powers and decision-making authority to them.
In court, the custom is to refer to commissioners as ‘Your Honor’ just as a judge, but my question is whether a commissioner is properly referred to as ‘the Honorable’ in correspondence and court orders.  Something tells me that since they’re a bit lower on the pecking order, they’re not.  I’d appreciate any insight you might have as an expert in the area.
– J.J.D. in Salt Lake City

Dear J.J.D.:
        If this type of commissioner is hired … neither appointed by the governor nor elected … I would not address them as The Honorable (full name).
Regarding the practice of addressing an appointed commissioners while presiding in court as Your Honor …. there are many circumstances where a person is addressed in a way that is appropriate for the role they are fulfilling.
 E.g., an instructor when teaching class at a university can be addressed asProfessor (Name) by students in the classroom though he or she holds none of the graded ranks of professor (professor, associate professor or assistant professor).
In the armed services, a lower-ranking naval officer may be addressed asCaptain (name) if officially serving in a billet which requires an officer holding therank of captain but for some reason no officer of the correct rank is available.
       – Robert Hickey

Is a Former Judge Still Addressed as a Judge?

Dear Robert,
I have a question regarding a former district court judge (in New Hampshire) who by his own choice returned to private practice. Would this person still be called “The Hon.,” or would that be inappropriate because of his new role?
          — Mark in New Hampshire

 
Hi Mark,
The general rule is ”once The Honorable, always The Honorable.”  So, address the official envelope:
The Honorable (full name)
(Name of Firm)
Address
Retired judges are usually addressed in conversation as “Judge (surname)”
However a former judge would not be addressed using the forms of address for a judge if he has assumed another form of employment (for pay). He would not longer be accorded the courtesies of a current or retired judge. A judge who has returned to private practice would be addressed as “Mr. (surname)” professionally.
– Robert Hickey

Dear Mr. Hickey
You state that a retired judge who returns to private practice is not longer entitled to the courtesies of being called “Judge” when he or she is in court.  Is there any authority for this view?  It could be argued that the title of “Judge” has supplanted the title of “Mister” and that it would be a discourtesy (both to the retired judge and to the court that he or she served) to strip the retired judge of the title he or she earned.  In court the judge is referred to as “Your Honor,” or “The Court,” so the parties involved in the proceeding will not be confused.
I should add to my earlier email that it is the practice in the legal community to continue to refer to a retired judge who has returned to private practice as “Judge (surname),” at least outside of the courtroom.
          — JAL & GW

 
Hi JAL & GW,
         The pattern in forms of address is when one leaves an office which has a special form of address — use of the courtesies of the forms of address related to the office extend to social use only.
        E.g., when USAF General who retires but subsequently works for a defense contractor — he is addressed as Mr. (Name) while working in his new professional role.  But he could still send out wedding invitations for his daughter’s wedding (a social use) as General (Name).
        Through interviews with attorney’s and jurists I have observed the same pattern.
        Thus addressing a retired judge as Judge (Name) socially makes sense. But addressing a practicing attorney as Judge (Name) is misleading in his role in the current circumstance.
        I am not saying it’s never done … it is. But when it is it has more to do with the person addressing the former office holder wanting to flatter the former office holder, or the former office holder wishing to receive some courtesy accorded a current office holder.
– Robert Hickey

How to Write an Official’s Name on a Place Card?

I am co-hosting a dinner with a U.S. Senator. For purposes of preparing my place cards, how should they be addressed? For example, Senator Dianne Feinstein? OrSenator Feinstein? For the other guests  I plan to use first and last name: Debbie Menzer. Is this proper ettiquette? – Debbie Menzer in Corporate Affairs Dear Ms. Menzer:         It would be better for all the place cards to be the same style. Senator Feinstein is the most formal form to use on a place card (it’s the conversational form).:   Senator Feinstein                     Ms. Messemer      Mr. Hickey If you are going to include honorifics on some, you should do them all with honorifics. The form I show above provides just the information needed for a guest to find his or her place. But I see you are in corporate affairs. If it is your company style to include first and last names on place cards, how about giving the official her courtesy title: The Honorable Barbara Feinstein                       Debbie Messemer Robert Hickey It’s not technically ‘the most formal style” but you get first and last names … anyone entitled to a courtesy title gets theirs … and the place cards can be doneconsistently and I like consistency.        – Robert Hickey

Can The Flag Be Draped Over a Civilian’s Coffin?

At our school’s classes we cover how to fold the American flag, its proper uses, and proper display. When we addressed the issue of how it is draped on a coffin, I had the question: Is it only used for military personnel or can it be used for civilians too?  I had no idea what the rules are and would appreciate your advice.
   — John R.

I am a retired police officer and am leaving instructions for my family once I pass away.(Hopefully not for a long time in the future).  My father was in the Army Air Corps during WWII. When he died his casket was draped with an American flag as a veteran. I have that flag.
Is an appropriate request to have the same flag drape my casket after my death?
   — Kevin P.

Dear J.R and K.P.:
Anyone United States citizen can have the U.S. flag on their casket – as long as the flag is displayed correctly. The rules are from the government, not the military. When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be placed so the top left of the flag (the blue field with stars) is over the head and over the body’s left shoulder. (What’s the body’s left, and the left of the body for the viewer are different. See the photo below.) The flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.
There is much to learn on flags, but check out the rules in advance and then display it proudly.
   — Robert Hickey