How to Address the President of the Senate
How to Address the Vice President of the United States as President of the Senate
—-Envelope or address block on letter or email:
—-—-The Vice President
—-—-United States Senate
—-—-Washington, DC 20510
—-The salutation is to the Vice President in his capacity as President of the Senate is:
—-—-Dear Mr. President:
There is always a flurry of comments in the media when they pick up that the President of the United States addresses the Vice President – when the VPOTUS is presiding as the President of the Senate at the State of the Union Address – as Mr. President.
But the POTUS is absolutely correct in doing so. In that room at that moment the Vice President is ‘Mr. President’ of the Senate. George W. Bush one year addressed Dick Cheney as ‘Mr. Vice President’ and historians and protocol professionals just shook their heads.
The envelope to the Vice President as President of the Senate is addressed to the Vice President at his/her Senate office on Capitol Hill. The salutation is to the office in question – President of the Senate – Mr. President:
This is consistent with the American tradition that we give an official just one title at a time … and to address the person as who he or she ‘is at that moment’.
– 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.