Forms of Address
How to address other federal officials
Most senior appointed federal officials — an Inspector General, the Postmaster General, a Sergeant at Arms — are addressed as "The Honorable [Full Name]" with their exact office on the next line, and a personal "Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]:" salutation, since none of these offices use a spoken office-based title the way President or Governor do.
Checked September 10, 2026/6 min read
Written by Claire PostReviewed against USPS Publication 28
What is on this page6 sections
This page collects the senior federal offices that do not fit neatly under a single department head or elected role, an independent watchdog, the head of the postal service, a chamber own internal officer, and senior White House staff, all sharing the same underlying address logic even though their jobs have little else in common.
None of them have developed a spoken short title the way “Governor” or “Mr. President” has. The Honorable establishes the formality on the envelope, and everything after that, the salutation and the spoken form, defaults back to the person own name.
Step by step
Open the envelope with The Honorable and the full name
Every office on this page qualifies for The Honorable, since each is a senior, formally appointed or confirmed federal position, even though none of them are elected.
THE HONORABLE PRIYA S RAMANINSPECTOR GENERALUS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE400 ARMY NAVY DRARLINGTON VA 22202CorrectStandard envelope format for an Inspector General. Name the specific office and department on the second line
"Inspector General, [Department]," "Postmaster General," "Sergeant at Arms, United States Senate/House," or "Chief of Staff to the President" — the exact wording depends on the office, and none of these titles are interchangeable with each other.
Use a personal salutation, not an office-based one
Unlike President, Governor, or Speaker, none of the titles on this page have a standard spoken short form like "Mr. Inspector General." Use "Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]:" for all of them.
Quick reference
| Office | Envelope (office line) | Salutation |
|---|---|---|
| Inspector General | Inspector General, [Department/Agency] | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]: |
| Postmaster General | Postmaster General, United States Postal Service | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]: |
| Sergeant at Arms | Sergeant at Arms, United States Senate/House | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]: |
| White House Chief of Staff | Chief of Staff to the President | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]: |
| Other senior White House staff | [Title], The White House | Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name]: |
Special cases
The rule above covers most people. Here is what changes for the rest.
Is there a separate Inspector General for every federal department?
Most major departments and many agencies have their own Inspector General, an independent office responsible for internal oversight. Always name the specific department or agency on the envelope, since "Inspector General" alone does not identify which one.
Does the Postmaster General outrank other agency heads in terms of address?
The address form does not reflect a formal government-wide rank; it simply follows the same The Honorable plus personal-salutation pattern as the rest of the titles on this page.
Key terms on this page
- The Honorable
- A courtesy title used before the full name of a current or former holder of a high government office, including senior appointed federal officials.
- Inspector General
- An independent oversight official within a federal department or agency, responsible for auditing and investigating that department own operations.