White House Staff
Staff of the POTUS
Staff of the First Lady
———Also on this page:
————How to Address a Member of the First Lady’s Staff
————How to Address a Chief of Staff in a Territory
How to Address the Chief of Staff to the POTUS
The Chief of Staff to the President of the United States (POTUS), as well as certain assistants, counselors, and personal representatives to the POTUS are addressed as ‘the Honorable’. Chief of Staff POTUS
There is no official list published of who is and who is not ‘the Honorable‘. (And let me tell you I have looked.) Precedence-wise the Chief of Staff is on the level of the Cabinet. Not far below in precedence are the Assistants to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff (e.g. for Planning and Implementation, Policy Coordination, Operations and Communications), Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Spouse of the President, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President, and the Assistants to the President. I don’t believe these are addressed as the Honorable but wish I had confirmation.
—Chief of Staff and others addressed as the Honorable:
—-—-Official envelope or address block on letter or email:
—-—-—-The Honorable (Full Name)
—-—-—-(Office Held)
—-—-—-(Address)
—-Everyone else in the West Wing is addressed as:
—-—-—-Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Name)
—-—-—-(Office Held)
—-—-—-(Address)
—-For all in a salutation or conversation:
—-——–Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Name)
Chief of Staff is not used as an honorific with a name. Chiefs of Staff to a governor (state) are not necessarily the Honorable, but the Chief of Staff to the POTUS always is.
– Robert Hickey How to Address the Chief of Staff of the POTUS How to Address White House Staff
Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”
Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”
Member of the First Lady’s Staff?
While some members of the President’s staff are ‘the honorable’ (Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Spouse of the President) – none of the First Lady’s dedicated staff are. A member of the First Lady’s staff is Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Name). Use whichever honorific to which they are entitled.
—-Official envelope or address block on letter or email:
—-—-Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Full Name)
—-—-The White House
—-—-Washington, DC, 20500
—-Conversation or salutation:
—-—-Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Surname):
– Robert Hickey How to Address White House Staff
Chief of Staff in a US Territory?
I need to send a letter to the Chief of Staff to the governor of Puerto Rico. How do I address that?
—-—-—-—-—-—-– Mary Stiller, Puerto Rico
Dear Ms. Stiller,
Chiefs of staff at the state and territorial level are not addressed as ‘the Honorable.’
—-Use:
—-—-Mr./Ms./etc. (Full Name)
—-—-(Address)
– Robert Hickey
Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”
When Should You Use the Forms on this Page?
You can use these forms of address for any mode of communication: addressing a letter, invitation, card or Email. (If there are differences between the official and social forms of address, I will have mentioned the different forms.) The form noted in the salutation is the same form you say when you say their name in conversation or when you greet them.
___What I don’t cover on this site are many things I do cover in my book: all the rules of forms of address, about names, international titles, precedence, complimentary closes, details on invitations, place cards, all sorts of introductions, etc. I hope you’ll get a copy of the book if you’d like the further detail.
Not Finding Your Answer?
—-#1) At right on desktops, at the bottom of every page on tablets and phones, is a list of all the offices, officials & topics covered on the site.
—-#2) If you don’t see the official you seek included or your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply: usually the next day or so (unless I am traveling.) Note: I don’t have mailing or Email addresses for any of the officials and I don’t keep track of offices that exist only in history books.
—-#3) If I think your question is of interest to others, Sometimes I post the question – but always change all the specifics.
— Robert Hickey
Robert Hickey author of “Honor & Respect”
Recommended Resources: The Protocol School of Washington (PSOW) and Protocol and Diplomacy International – Protocol Officers Association (PDI-POA) For more information see the Protocol Resources page.