Miss Manners: 'Mr. President' was good enough for Washington
Miss Manners by Judith Martin
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Posted: 01/19/2009 12:10:00 AM PST


WHEN THE Founding Fathers came up with the title "Mr. President," they thought they had devised the ultimate in casual forms of official address. In contrast to the sycophantic titles used toward European monarchs, which they considered unbefitting a republic of equals, this would give the person holding the highest office no grander an honorific than any ordinary citizen.

George Washington had a different approach. "His High and Mightiness" had rather a nice ring to it, he ventured to suggest.

However, ridicule carried the day, as Miss Manners notices that it so often does. And when the first president left office, he made a concession to the American taste for simplicity by decreeing that he would henceforth no longer carry the title of president, not even as a mere courtesy. He chose his former title, General Washington.

Only a few decades ago, calling nonintimates by their first names was intended as a slight. African-Americans and subordinate employees, particularly servants but including female employees in professional life, were so addressed, even in such formal situations as courtrooms. When replying, they were expected to use "Mr." or professional titles with surnames.

But apparently we have also been growing more pompous. We now have four living former presidents addressing one another as Mr. President, and a citizenry worried that it would be disrespectful to follow George Washington's rule.

It is true that the first president's wife was known, in her day, as Lady Washington. Over the years, this evolved into the moniker first lady.

But there is no such official title. By our law, the president's wife is a private citizen, although she is given precedence by courtesy.

The sitting president should be addressed as Mr. President. His wife is addressed, both in writing and in speaking, as Mrs. Obama. No first name, neither his nor hers, is used.

The former president is correctly addressed as Gov. Bush. His wife, who was THE Mrs. Bush when he was president, reverts to being Mrs. George W. Bush, as her mother-in-law became again Mrs. George H. W. Bush after her husband's administration.

Similarly, the sitting vice president is the only Mr. Vice President, and his wife is simply Mrs. (or Dr.) Biden.