The Honourable - Citizendia

The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable (abbreviated to "The Hon. " or formerly "The Hon'ble") is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons.

1 British usage
- 1.1 Entitlement
- 1.2 Usage
2 American usage
3 Australian usage
4 Canadian usage
5 Congolese usage
6 Hong Kong usage
7 Italian usage
8 New Zealand usage
9 Manx usage
10 Sri Lanka usage
11 Caribbean usage
12 Usage in private organizations
13 See also

British usage

Entitlement

In the United Kingdom, all sons and daughters of viscounts and barons (including baronies created as life peers) and the younger sons of earls are styled with this prefix. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A viscount ( VAI-count is a member of the European Nobility whose comital title ranks usually as in the British peerage, above a Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains (The daughters and younger sons of dukes and marquesses and the daughters of earls have the higher style of Lord or Lady before their first names, and the eldest sons of dukes, marquesses and earls are known by one of their father or mother's subsidiary titles. A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom A marquess (ˈmɑrkwɪs or marquis (/mɑrˈkiː/ is a Nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains ) The style is only a courtesy one, however, and on legal documents they are described as, for instance, John Smith, Esq. A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of Nobility used by children former wives and other close relatives of a peer. , commonly called The Honourable John Smith. As the wives of sons of peers share the styles of their husbands, the wives of the sons of viscounts and barons and the younger sons of earls are styled, for example, The Hon. Mrs John Smith.

Some persons are entitled to the prefix by virtue of their offices. Rules exist that allow certain individuals to keep the prefix The Honourable even after retirement.

Judges of the High Court and other superior courts in the Commonwealth (if the judge is a knight, the style Sir John Smith is used socially instead of The Honourable Mr Justice Smith. For the Cameroonian court by this name see High Court of Justice (Cameroon, for the Israeli court of this name see Supreme Court of Israel. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. );
Members of Commonwealth executive councils and the Canadian Privy Council (and by extension, cabinets);
Members of legislative councils (or senates) where the legislature is bicameral; and
Certain representatives of the Sovereign, e. An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and (notionally The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (QPC (Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada (CPR sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or the Privy Council A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies A senate is a Deliberative body, often the Upper house or chamber of a Legislature or Parliament. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral g. Lieutenant-Governors of Canadian provinces. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

Many corporate entities are also entitled to the style, for example:

The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled (modern stylisation of The Right Honourable the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses);
The Honourable East India Company;
The Honourable Artillery Company;
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple etc. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC is the oldest surviving Regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior in the The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London which may call members to

Usage

The style The Honourable is always written on envelopes (where it is usually abbreviated to The Hon), and formally elsewhere, in which case the style Mr or Esq. is omitted. Esquire (abbreviated Esq) is a term of British origin originally used to denote social status In speech, however, The Honourable John Smith is referred to simply as Mr John Smith.

In the British House of Commons, as in other lower houses of Parliament and other legislatures, members refer to each other as honourable members etc. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A parliament is a Legislature, especially in those out of courtesy, despite the fact that they are not entitled to the style in writing.

Where a person is entitled to the prefix The Right Honourable, they will use this higher style instead of The Honourable. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain

American usage

In the United States, the prefix The Honorable is used for some current and, in some cases, former government officials. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Though there are few actual legal regulations of the style, it does appear in correspondence regulations and guides to forms of address.

The “Federal Usage” is expressed in the United States Department of State correspondence guidelines and includes:

The President and Vice President, (referred to as Excellency when traveling abroad, however), United States Senators, and members of the United States House of Representatives, and those that are “-elect,” that have won the election but have not yet been sworn into office. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. __FORCETOC__ For the Vice President of the United States, their roles and other information see Vice President of the United States. Excellency is a Honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state
All federal, state and local judges, justices of the peace and magistrates whether appointed or elected
Appointed federal department heads, cabinet-level officials, Assistants to the President (down to the “Special Assistant” level), Special (or “Personal”) Envoys, members of federal boards, and most appointees that must be confirmed by the Senate (e. The Executive Office of the President ( EOP) consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting g. Ambassadors, members of the Federal Communications Commission). An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country (Note that some appointees, such as Assistants to the President, do not require Senate confirmation, but still are styled "Honorable. " It should also be noted that United States Attorneys are not granted the style, even though they generally are confirmed by the Senate. United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the United States federal government in United States district court and )
Officers of the United States House of Representatives and of the United States Senate, and heads of legislative agencies, such as the Comptroller General
Governors, lieutenant governors, statewide elected officers, such as the State Attorney General, members of a governor’s cabinet (In some states an incumbent governor is also referred to as Excellency by long established custom or by some legislative or constitutional act. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The Comptroller General of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office ( GAO, formerly known as the General Accounting Office a The state attorney general in the United States is an executive office in all 50 State governments. Excellency is a Honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state )
Members of State Legislatures
Mayors

Federal usage also notes that the style of “Honorable” is used for life. This would include persons convicted of crimes after leaving office, resigned under a cloud, or who were removed from office (i. e. impeached or recalled). [1]

Some recent editions of Emily Post have disputed the usage for mayors, as a lifetime style, and state officials lesser than a governor. Emily Post ( October 27, 1873 - September 25, 1960) was a United States author who promoted what she considered "proper etiquette" Other experts disagree, stressing "Once an Honorable, always an Honorable. " [2] The 1922 edition of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home noted that a consul (normally not entitled to the style) that was a former Assemblyman would retain the style of “Honorable,” as a matter of “right”. http://www.bartleby.com/95/27.html The 1945 edition did not.

Other sources expand the list of those that are styled “Honorable” even further. Some sources extend it to elected county officials, such as county supervisors or commissioners, and the presiding officer of local legislative bodies of a municipality, e. g. city council. [3] Still others, notably Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus, extend this down all members of local legislative bodies and municipal attorneys (though not "Special Assistants to the President"). [4] Webster's also extends the style for life to former elected federal officials. These are at variance with the federal usage, which specifically excludes county and local officials, other than mayors, from the style, but grants it for life more broadly.

In New York City the style seems to have been extended to non-elected department heads. The City of New York

The style “Honorable” is not a particularly rare style in the United States. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania alone, even using the conservative “federal usage”, there are more than 2,000 positions (inclusive of the members of Congress, state legislators, federal, state, and county judges, along with the more local district justices, and mayors) that would grant the holder the style of “honorable”. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The more liberal usage (including county and municipal attorneys, county officeholders, and members of municipal legislative bodies), as seen in Webster, would increase that number to over 13,000 positions. (Note: These figures are exclusive of former officeholders. )

The style “The Honorable,” or the abbreviation of “Hon. ” is used on envelopes when referring to the individual in the third person, i. e. in a formal introduction. It generally is not used with an additional style or title, such as Dr. or The Reverend, though it can be used with post nominal initials, for example “The Hon. Doctor ( gen: doctoris) means teacher in Latin. The word is originally an Agentive noun of the verb docēre ('teach' The Reverend is a style used as a Prefix to the names of many Christian Clergy and ministers It is correctly called a style rather John H. Sununu, Ph D. John Henry Sununu (born July 2, 1939 in Havana Cuba is a former Governor of New Hampshire (1983–89 and former White House Chief ” Other modifiers ("The Right Honorable", "The Most Honorable") are not used in American practice.

A spouse of someone with the style of "The Honorable" receives no additional style, unless personally entitled to the style. The wife of former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, Michele Ridge, does not, and did not, receive the style, even though her husband has held various offices (governor, member of Congress, cabinet secretary, and assistant to the president) that would grant the style for life under all usages. Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26 1945) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives (1983&ndash1995 The wife of current Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Marjorie Rendell, is a Federal Judge (appointed years prior to Rendell's election as Governor) and is properly styled as "The Honorable Marjorie Rendell". Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell (born January 5 1944) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Marjorie ("Midge" Osterlund Rendell is a Federal judge in Pennsylvania.

In the State of Texas, licensed attorneys and counselors at law are entitled to be referred to as "the Honorable" while practicing before the bar, however, they do not use the style outside of court unless they are otherwise entitled to it.

Aside from the prefix, "The Honorable", the spoken form of address, "Your Honor", is used when addressing judges, justices, and magistrates (who are addressed as such when presiding in court). Mayors, who have or traditionally had, a judicial function, are also addressed as "Your Honor". When speaking of a judge or mayor in this manner in the third person, "Your Honor" becomes "His [or "Her"] Honor". This can be seen in the case of the Mayor of New York City, who is technically a magistrate of the court system. The Mayor of New York City is the head of the executive branch of the Government of New York City. This form has given rise to the rather disparaging variant, "Hizzoner", applied most frequently by city newspapers to the mayors of large US cities (c. f. "Hizzoner!", 1984 TV movie, [5]).

Australian usage

In Australia, all ministers in Commonwealth and state (but not territory) governments are entitled to be styled The Honourable. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Except in New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania the title is retained for life because it recognises that their appointment to the relevant executive council (when they first become a minister) is an appointment for life, and the person technically remains "an executive councillor-on-call". South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass In New South Wales and South Australia and Tasmania the premier can advise the Queen to grant former ministers the style for life. A premier is a title for the Head of government in some countries TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy The presiding officers of the parliaments of the Commonwealth and the states are also styled The Honourable but normally only during their tenure of office. Special permission is sometimes given for a former presiding officer to retain the style after leaving the office.

The style "The Honourable" is not acquired through membership of either the House of Representatives or the Senate. A member or senator may have the style if they have acquired it separately, eg. by being a current or former minister. During proceedings within the chambers, forms such as "The honourable Member for . . . ", "The honourable the Leader of the Opposition", or "My honourable colleague" are used. This is a merely a parliamentary courtesy and does not imply any right to the style.

Traditionally, members of the Legislative Councils of the states were also styled The Honourable. This practice is still followed in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia and Tasmania. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass In Victoria, the practice was abolished in 2003. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Canadian usage

In Canada, the following people are entitled to the style The Honourable (or l'honorable in French) for life:

Speaker and Members of the Canadian Senate
Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Provincial Lieutenant-Governors

In addition, some people are entitled to the style while in office only:

The Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
Judges
Premiers and government leaders in provinces and territories
Members of the Federal Government cabinet
Members of provincial Executive Councils while holding office
Speakers of provincial legislatures while holding office. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Senate of Canada (Le Sénat du Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the sovereign (represented by the governor general The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (QPC (Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada (CPR sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or the Privy Council The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. A Lieutenant Governor is a high officer of state whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction In Canada the Speaker of the House of Commons ( French: Président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation
Territorial Commissioners

Derivatives include:

The Honourable Mr / Madam Justice — Justices of superior courts.
His / Her Honour Judge — Judges of provincial courts and formerly judges of district or county courts.

It is usual for Speakers of the House of Commons to be made Privy Councillors, in which case they keep the style for life, and provincial Premiers are sometimes also made Privy Councillors. A premier is a title for the Head of government in some countries

Members of the Canadian House of Commons and of provincial legislatures refer to each other as "honourable members" (or l'honorable député) but are not entitled to have The Honourable as a prefix in front of their name. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and

The Governor General of Canada, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Chief Justice of Canada and certain other eminent persons are entitled to the style The Right Honourable for life (or le/la Très honorable in French). The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus The Supreme Court of Canada consists of the Chief Justice of Canada ( Juge en chef du Canada) and eight Puisne Justices all appointed by The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain

see Styles of Address (Canada) and Style (manner of address)

Congolese usage

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the prefix "Honorable" or "Hon" is used for members of both chambers of the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to The Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo consists of two chambers The Senate ( Upper Chamber) The Informally, senators are sometimes given the higher title of "Venerable".

Hong Kong usage

In Hong Kong, the prefix "The Honourable" is used for the following people:

Members of the Legislative Council. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders The Legislative Council ( LegCo) is the Unicameral Legislature of Hong Kong.
Members of the Executive Council. The Executive Council of Hong Kong ( ExCo,) is an organ in the Executive branch of the political structure of Hong Kong.
The Chief Executive. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong ( is the head of Hong Kong Government and the principal representative of the Hong Kong.
Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Secretary of Justice, and Secretaries of Bureaux.
Judges of the Court of Final Appeal. The Court of Final Appeal ( is the court with the final adjudication power on the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic
Judges of the High Court.
Bearers of the title Grand Bauhinia Medal, the highest medal in Hong Kong's honours system. The existing Hong Kong honours system was created after transfer of government of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China as a special administrative region

Italian usage

In Italy, the prefix "onorevole" is used for members of the Chamber of Deputies. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Italian Chamber of Deputies ( Camera dei Deputati) is the Lower house of the Parliament of Italy.

New Zealand usage

In addition to the standard Commonwealth usage, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is entitled to be referred to as "the Honourable". In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body the New Zealand House of Representatives The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and until 1951 the New Zealand Legislative Council

New Zealand office holders who are "honourable" ex-officio are usually personally granted the style for life as a courtesy when they vacate the office.

Governors-General uses the style upon assuming the office and holds the title for life here after. Former living Governors-General were retroactively appointed if they were not already a holder or a Privy Councillor. A privy council is a body that advises the Head of state of a nation on how to exercise their executive authority, typically but not always in the context of a

Manx usage

In the Isle of Man, the style The Honourable (often abbreviated to Hon. The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the ) is used to refer to a Minister while holding office. The Council of Ministers (Coonseil ny Shirveishee is similar although not exactly parallel to the United Kingdom Cabinet.

Sri Lanka usage

In Sri Lanka, the following people are entitled to the style The Honourable :

Speaker & Members of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The Parliament of Sri Lanka is a Unicameral 225-member Legislature elected by Universal suffrage and Proportional representation for
Supreme & appeal court judges.

Caribbean usage

Members of the Order of the Caribbean Community are entitled to be styled The Honourable for life [6]

In Puerto Rico, much like the continental United States, the term "honorable" (in Spanish) is used, but not required by law, to address Puerto Rican governors as well as city mayors. The Oder of the Caribbean Community is an award given to "Caribbean nationals whose legacy in the economic political social and cultural metamorphoses of Caribbean society is phenomenal" Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}}

Members of The Barbados House of Assembly are styled The Honourable.

Usage in private organizations

Private organizations or religious movements sometimes style a leader or founder as The Honourable; e. g. "The Honourable Elijah Muhammad". Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Poole, October 7 1897 - February 25 1975) is notable for his leadership of the Black Muslims

The patent of membership presented by The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels by the Governor of Kentucky refers to the honoree as "Hon. Firstname Lastname".

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