FYI, here is what's come in to the Blog that relates to this office/rank.
   For recent questions sent in, check out Robert Hickey's Blog.
   For specific offices/ranks, check out Robert Hickey's On-Line Guide.

How to Address a Former Secretary on a Letter?
       I am writing a message to former United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who now works for Hill & Knowlton. How do I address him in my letter?
            -- Kathy J. Young

Dear Ms. Young:
       There is only one Secretary of Transportation ... so formers don't continue to be addressed as such.  
       But they do continue to be The Honorable.
       Most formally in conversational direct address, former secretaries of U.S. Federal departments go back to whatever they were before becoming a Secretary ... so he's no longer addressed as Mr. Secretary or Secretary Mineta.
      So address him on the envelope and in the letter's address block as:
            The Honorable Norman Mineta
            (Address)
      ... and in the salutation use:
            Dear Mr. Mineta:
      -- Robert Hickey

How to Address a Former Secretary of (Department)?
    Is a former Secretary of Labor still The Honorable?
         --- G. G. Johnson

Dear Ms. Johnson:
     Former secretaries of Federal Departments are still addressed as The Honorable. The rule is once an Honorable always and an Honorable.  They are no longer Mr./Madame Secretary or Secretary (Name) since their is another holder of this only-one-person-at-a-time office, but they are still The Honorable.
           -- Robert Hickey

How to Orally Address a Former Secretary?
     First, if you were working with a former secretary, say former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, would you still address her as Madame Secretary? I think now that she's out of office she will be just Dr. Rice -- the form of address she had before she took office and was on the faculty of Stanford University. Right?
     Second, if I am right, how do you delicately inform an executive who strongly feels she is still "Secretary Rice"?
         --- Kelly Roberts McLean

Dear Ms. McLean:
     You are right. Condoleezza Rice is officially Dr. Rice in direct address and identified as the Secretary of State from 2005-2009 or something similar.
    To explain the correct form I would say 
    There are some positions of which former office holders continue to be addressed with an honorific of their former position: senators, judges, ambassadors, and generals, for example. 
     But there's only one Secretary of (a department) at a time, and only the current office holder is granted the courtesies of the office. Being addresses as Secretary is a courtesy due the office.
     Using the forms of address with a former position is extending the courtesies of the office, which they might find flattering, but it is not respectful the current office holder.
     As to how I would delicately inform an executive who strongly felt she is still "Secretary (Name)" ... I would inform her only if she asked me for my advice.
    I hear a lot of bad grammar too, but that doesn't make me think the rules have grammar have changed. I think I am just dealing with someone who doesn't know the rules, or doesn't care.
    There's no upside to getting into an argument.
           -- Robert Hickey

How to Introduce a Former Secretary?
    Would you please tell me the appropriate way to introduce Ms. Elaine Chao, former Labor Secretary and Distinguished Fellow of the Heritage Foundation to our CEO and members of his staff?
    Thank you for your kind consideration,
         -- Connie

Dear Connie:
     Interesting question. Coincidentally Elaine Chao came up in conversation this week, and so here are some ideas:
     THE FORM OF ADDRESS
          Former cabinet secretaries usually go back to Mr./Ms./Dr. etc, or whatever their honorific was before they took office. Colin Powell went back to General Powell, Henry Kissinger when back to Dr. Kissinger.
          So most formally, she would not be "Madame Secretary" or "Secretary Chao" and she'd be Ms. Chao.
          But I recently heard someone say they met Elaine Chao and one of her staff informed him that she preferred Secretary Chao. Some protocol professionals whose opinion I value say addressing former secretaries as Secretary (Name) is a practice, usually done to follow the wishes of the former office holder who prefers to be addressed with the rank of their former office.  Most formally it's not correct, and probably would not be done in the presence of the current secretary.
          Anyway, her preference is second-hand information, so I think you should ask "How do you preferred to be addressed: Secretary Chao? or Ms. Chao?"
          I find no one objects to being asked how they preferred to be addressed. it is respectful and ultimately our name belongs to us and we can dictate to others what we should be called.
     THE INTRODUCTION
          You write "the appropriate way to introduce Ms. Elaine Chao ... to our CEO and members..."
          You should introduce your CEO and members TO the former secretary since she is the guest. Some good forms for the introduction would be:
               Ms./Secretary Chao may I introduce to you Thomas Saunders. Mr. Saunders is the Chairman of the Heritage Foundation
               Ms./Secretary Chao may I introduce Thomas Saunders ...
               Ms./Secretary Chao may I present Thomas Saunders ...
                   -- Robert Hickey

How to Address a State Secretary of a Department?
      I am addressing an invitation to Ben Brancel, the Secretary of the Wisconsin State Dept. of Agriculture, trade and Consumer Protection. If we were inviting Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, I would address the letter Dear Hon. Vilsack. But I am uncertain how to address a state-level official such as Mr. Brancel? Thank you,
           -- Pat Duryea
              Manager, Communications and Membership
              TBA Export Council.

Dear Pat Duryea:
      Actually, Dear Hon. Vilsack is not correct.
      "Hon." is not as an honorific like "Mr." "Dr." "Senator" "Commissioner" or "General"
      "The Honorable" is a courtesy title, an it always precedes a full name.
      In conversation or in a salutation you change over to what ever honorific they are entitled to ....  "Governor"  "Ambassador"  "Senator"  "Judge"  etc.
      A Secretary of a US Department, member of The President of the United States' cabinet, is addressed on the outside envelope as:
               The Honorable Tom Volsack
               (Complete Address)
      I would use "Tom" rather than "Thomas" since that's what his office uses on his website / so it must be his preference.
      In the salutation the traditional, most formal form would be
               Dear Mr. Secretary:
      Or also traditional, but slightly less formal is:
               Dear Secretary Volsack:
      State secretaries follow the same pattern:
               The Honorable Ben Brancel
               (Complete Address)
      And in the salutation use:
               Dear Secretary Brancel:
      When I was researching my book I polled a number of state secretaries ... and they unanimously preferred "Secretary (Surname)" rather than "Mr./Madame Secretary".  One state secretary expressed it this way: there is only one US Secretary of our discipline in the Cabinet in Washington ... but there are 50 of us at the state level ... so the singular title makes less sense.
          -- Robert Hickey

Back to directory of titles  /  See who is using Honor & Respect

For forms of address for invitations, place cards, name badges, introductions, conversation, and all other formal uses, see Honor & Respect: the Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address.

Copyright © 2012 Robert Hickey.     All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Marc Goodman.