The following correct forms of address are believed to conform to the recognized custom, as indorsed by official, social, and scholarly sources of authority. Most of the examples are from Westlake’s “How to Write Letters,” but some are from Harper’s Cyclopedia:
Army Officers. See [Military], [Colonel], etc.
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, or of the supreme court of any state. To Honorable John Brown, justice. Sir:
Assistant Secretaries of Federal departments, heads of bureaus, etc. To John Brown, Esq., secretary of state. Sir:
Bishop. Except in the case of Methodists address a bishop as the Right Reverend John Brown. Salutation—Right Reverend Sir: or Right Reverend and Dear Sir:
Board of Education, Board of Trade, etc. To the President and Members of the ——. Sirs: or Honorable Sirs: or May it Please Your Honorable Body. Other organizations of similar character are addressed after this style.
Cabinet Members. To the Honorable E. M. Stanton, secretary of war. Another form is Honorable E. M. Stanton. The salutation is simply Sir:
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. To the Honorable Joseph McKenna, chief justice of the Supreme Court, or To the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Sir: or Mr. Chief Justice:
College Presidents. Either Dear Sir: or Reverend and Dear Sir: as the case may be.
Company, President of. John Jones, president of the North German Cracker Company. Sir: or Dear Sir: