State Senator

How to Address a Member of State Legislature:
Senator, Representative, Delegate,
Assemblyman, or Assemblywoman

MEMBER OF A STATE SENATE
State senators use Senator as an honorific: addressed in writing and orally as Senator (name). State senators are addressed as State Senator (name) or Mr./Ms. (name) in Washington, DC, especially in the presence of United States Senators.

MEMBER OF OTHER STATE LEGISLATURES
      Most formally use Mr./Ms. (name) and identify as a member of (name of legislature).
      HOUSE OF DELEGATES: Delegates may less formally use Delegate as an honorific, most typically in conversation and for clarity: "Delegate Wilson will be here in ten minutes," or "Hello, this is Delegate Raymond Wilson's office, may I help you?"
      STATE ASSEMBLY: This pattern of use is also typical for members of an State Assembly and use of Assembly Member, Assemblyman and Assemblywoman as honorifics used for clarity.

Envelope, official:
   The Honorable
       (Full name)
           (Name of state legislature)
               (Address)

Letter salutation for other than a member of a senate:
    Dear Mr./Ms. (surname):

Letter salutation for a member of a senate:
Dear Senator (surname):

(See note above about addressing Senators)

How to Address a Former Elected State Official?
How do you address in writing a former state senator?
-- R.W.

How do I address a letter to a former member of our state assembly?
-- Roy O.

Dear R.W. and Roy O.,
          A state official elected in a general election is addressed as "the Honorable". The rule is for former and retired officials: once one is "the Honorable" one is "the Honorable" for life.
          Retired/Former senators, since they are not one-officeholder-at-a-time officials, they continue to be addressed as Senator (Surname).
          Former members of other assemblies are formally addressed in a salutation or conversation as Mr./Ms./etc. (Surname) while in office, but as a practice many use Delegate/Representative/Delegate (Surname) in a salutation or conversation. It's not formal and traditional, but it's a common practice and useful when one wants to make sure everyone knows who the member is an current elected official and not just another Mr./Ms./etc.
        If you are addressing a letter relating to his/her public service, or it is social correspondence (a letter to a neighbor, a holiday note, or get-well card) -- address the envelope and use in the letter's address block:
The Honorable (Full Name)
                  (Address)
          If you are writing to someone who served as a state senator, but is now working in some commercial/professional role -- e.g., they are now your insurance agent, attorney, or stock broker -- and you are writing to them in the context of this commercial/professional endeavor -- address him/her as:
Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Full Name)
                  (Address)
.         In the salutation or in conversation use:
                  Mr./Ms./Dr./etc. (Surname)
         In the US we address people as pertinent to the situation. Each of us has many names and each is correct in a specific time and place. E.g., a woman named "Ann Robinson" might be addressed as "Mrs. Robinson", "Ann", "Sweetheart" or "Mom". Each name is an appropriate form of address in a certain situation. How one is addressed relates to (1) who is addressing the person? and (2) in which role is the person being addressed?
        In the US our tradition is that we address people as pertinent to the situation.
         -- Robert Hickey

All about The Honorable
Link to Q&A just on officials in the U.S. addressed as The Honorable

Not Finding Your Question Answered?
(1) At left is a list offices/officials covered and (2) below are other topics covered in my blog. Between the two I probably have what you are looking for.
     But after checking both lists if you don't see your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply: usually the next day (unless I am traveling.)
      If I think your question is of interest to others, I will post the question & answer – but I always change the names and specifics.
    -- Robert Hickey

USE OF NAMES & HONORIFICS
Mr., Miss, Jr., III, & Names
Married Women
Deceased Persons
People with Two Titles
Post-Nominal Abbreviations and Initials
Sequence Post-Nominal Abbreviations: Sr., Jr., etc.

Couples: Private Citizens / Joint Forms of Address
Couples: U.S. Military / Joint Forms of Address
Couples: U.S. Officials / Joint Forms of Address

USE OF SPECIFIC OFFICIAL TITLES
Former Officials
Professionals and Academics

United States Federal Officials, Currently In Office
United States State Officials, Currently In Office
United States Municipal Officials, Currently In Office
       All About The Honorable with U.S. Officials
       Former United States Officials of all types
United States Armed Services
       Addressing Active Duty Personnel
   Addressing Retired Personnel
       Use of Rank by Retired Personnel
       Use of Rank by Veterans

Tribal Officials
Clergy and Religious Officials
Canadian Officials
Australian Officials
British Officials, Royalty, and Nobility
Diplomats and International Representatives
Foreign National Officials and Nobility

SPECIFIC SITUATIONS
Author's Name on His/Her Book
Business Cards, Names on,
Couples
Introductions, Names in
Invitations: Names on
Invitations: Names of Armed Service Personnel on
Name Badges & Tags
Names on Programs, Signs, & Lists
Naming a Building or Road
Place Cards
Plaques, Awards, Diplomas, Certificates, Names on
Precedence: Ordering Officials
Tombstones, Names on

Site updated by Robert Hickey on 6 April 2020

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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.

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