Section 2. Protocol for recognition or greeting

2.1 Order of Precedence

Precedence is the order observed by persons of different rank and positions on ceremonial occasions. Thee observance of the order or precedence began at the congress of Vienna in 1815. That convention established the rank and title of diplomatic officials based upon their length of service. Thereafter, the nations and states of the world adopted the practice with modifications. An Order of Precedence is used for acknowledgements and can be useful in making seating arrangements.

2.1.1 Federal Order of Precedence

In the United States, the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol maintains the United States Order of Precedence advisory document. This document establishes the order and raking of the United States leadership for official events at home and abroad.

In the United States, the order of precedence is determined by a person’s election or appointment to public office. Th relative importance of different positions as well as the date when a position was created are considered in determining order of precedence. Listed below is the complete listing of the Federal Order of Precedence can be found in Appendix 1: Federal Order of Precedence.

2.1.2 Territorial Order of Precedence

Within the Territory of Guam, protocol follows general rules as practiced in the states. No one outranks the governor in the territory except the President of the Vice-President of the United States. In a similar fashion, no one outranks the mayor in his or her own village except the Governor or the Lieutenant Governor. For purposes such as seating, the spouses of officials take on the rank of their spouses. They do not have their own rank unless they also hold an office.

The Territory of Guam Order of Precedence closely follows the Federal Order of Precedence. The Territory of Guam Order of Precedence is as follows:

Territorial Order of Precedence

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

Speaker of the Guam Legislature

Chief Justice of Guam

Delegate to the U.S. Congress

Former Governors (in order of seniority)

Consular Corps (in order of the presentation of their credentials)

Senators of the Guam Legislature

Justices of Guam (in order of seniority)

Widows of Former Governors (in order of deceased husband’s seniority)

President, Mayor’s Council

Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of Guam

Military: Admiral/General, Active (by date of rank)

Clergy (if providing invocation or benediction at an official event)

Judges of the Superior Court of Guam (in order of appointment)

Mayors of Guam

Vice Mayors of Guam

Magistrate Judges of the Superior Court of Guam

Chief Judge of the District Court of Guam

Attorney General of Guam

Public Auditor of Guam

U.S. Attorney General (Presidential appointment)

U.S. Marshal (Presidential appointment)

Chief of Staff to the Governor of Guam

Executive Director of the Guam Legislature

Administrator of the Courts —Judiciary of Guam

Governor’s Cabinet

Former Lt. Governors (in order of seniority)

Former Speakers (in order of seniority)

Former Chief Justices of Guam (in order of seniority)

Former Delegates to the U.S. Congress (in order of seniority)

Former Justices

Former Senators

Former Judges

Former Mayors and Vice Mayors

Boards, Commissions, and Councils

2.2 Titles and Forms of Address

2.2.1 Addressing Officials

In public life, public officials' positions are ranked with various titles and forms of address. This practice is a courtesy to the office held. Correct titles and forms of address make it easier to conduct official conversations and correspondence. Awareness of correct titles and forms of address can assist citizens in communication formally with public officials.

Here are several suggested rules to follow in using various titles:

"The Honorable" is the preferred title in addressing high-ranking United States officials. Ambassadors, cabinet members, and members of Congress should be conferred with the title, "The Honorable." This title is written out in full. It is used in platform introductions but not in speaking to a person or in salutation. It is not advisable to use the abbreviated form, "The Hon." Or "Hon." In Guam, "The Honorable" should be conferred to the following individuals who hold the following positions: Governor, Speaker, Chief Justice, Delegate to Congress, heads of consular missions, other judges, and senators.

During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, John Jay asked, "Shall we have a king?" The resounding answer was: "We shall have a simple ‘Mr. President.;" Since then, the title "Your Excellency" has not been used to address top United States officials. The title has been reserved strictly for foreign ambassadors and heads of states.

The title of "Esquire" is of British origin. In the U.S. it is proper to use it after the name of a lawyer, a clerk of court, and some foreign service officers in correspondence. This title should not be used in other instances.

Honorific titles should be used before each individual's name in official or social correspondence. Such titles can be used, if applicable: Doctor, Professor, Reverend, Mr., Mrs., Ms. etc.

Women holding official ranks must be accorded proper honors based on their position in the order of precedence. A woman with an official position should outrank all other women who are wives of ranking men.

Retired public officials such as former governors, judges, and senators may be addressed as a courtesy, by the title they held before they retired.

In the military and the foreign service, retired officials and officers may retain the title of their ranks. The exceptions to this rule are Navy and Coast Guard officers below the rank of Commander. In addition, the abbreviated form, "Ret." can be used at the end of the retired officer's name.

2.2.2 Addressing Spouses

Wives of high-ranking officials are addressed and introduced as "Mrs." Like-wise, the husband of a high-ranking woman official does not share her title and is addressed and introduced as "Mr."

When addressing the spouse in a same-sex couple, the prefixes "Mr." ,"Mrs.", or "Ms." should be used as appropriate.

A comprehensive table detailing forms of address by position can be found in Appendix 2.

2.3 Receiving Line

At a formal luncheon, dinner, or reception, a receiving line comprised of the host, hostess, and honored guests greet each guest for the occasion. As shown in the diagram, the correct procedure in arranging receiving lines for official functions follows this sequence. At the head of the line, a protocol aide takes on the role of Announcer and presents the guest to the host. The announcer is not part of the receiving line and should not shake hands with guests. The host in turn presents him or her to the guest of honor. The guest proceeds to meet the hostess, then the spouse of the guest of honor and others in the receiving line.

Receiving lines should be as short as possible and the order of persons on the line depends upon the formality of the occasion. At an unofficial function, the hostess is first in the receiving line, then the guest of honor, the host, and the spouse of the guest of honor.

The organizer of the event has the option of placing a Puller at the end of the receiving line. The Puller is responsible for directing or "pulling" guests towards refreshments or the lounge area. This prevents lingering and congesting at the end of the receiving line. The Puller is not a part of the receiving line and does not shake hands with guests.



*In cases where there is no spouse, this should be omitted.

1 "The Order of Precedence of the United States of America." https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/265124.pdf