Mr is sometimes combined with certain titles (
Mr President,
Mr Speaker,
Mr Justice,
Mr Dean). The feminine equivalent is usually
Madam although
Mrs is also used in some contexts. All of these except
Mr Justice are used in
direct address and without the name. In certain professional contexts in different regions,
Mr has specific meanings; the following are some examples.
Medicine In the United Kingdom, Ireland and in some
Commonwealth countries (such as South Africa, New Zealand and some states of Australia), many
surgeons use the title
Mr (or
Miss,
Ms,
Mrs, as appropriate), rather than
Dr (
Doctor). Until the 19th century, earning a medical degree was not required to become a surgeon. Hence, the modern practice of reverting from
Dr to
Mr after successfully completing qualifying exams in surgery (e.g.,
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons or the
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons) is a historical reference to the origins of surgery in the United Kingdom as non-medically qualified
barber surgeons.
Military usage In the
United States Army, male
warrant officers are addressed as "Mister", while female warrant officers are addressed as "Miss" or "Missus", as appropriate. In the
US Navy, it was once customary to address
commissioned officers below the rank of
commander (O-5) as "Mister"; this practice ended in 1973 after an update of the
Navy Regulations, which standardised addressing all officers by rank. In the
British Armed Forces, a male
warrant officer is addressed as
Sir by other ranks and non-commissioned officers; commissioned officers, particularly of junior rank, should address a
warrant officer using
Mister and his surname, although often their rank or appointment is used, for example "Sergeant Major", "Regimental Sergeant Major", or "RSM". In the
British Armed Forces a
subaltern is often referred to by his surname and the prefix
Mister by both other ranks and more senior commissioned officers, e.g. "Report to Mister Smythe-Jones" rather than "Report to 2nd Lieutenant Smythe-Jones".
Judges In the
courts of England and Wales, Judges of the High Court are called, for example,
Mr Justice Crane unless they are entitled to be addressed as
Lord Justice. Where a forename is necessary to avoid ambiguity it is always used, for example
Mr Justice Robert Goff to distinguish from a predecessor
Mr Justice Goff. The female equivalent is
Mrs Justice Hallett, not
Madam Justice Hallett. When more than one judge is sitting and there is need to be specific, the form of address is
My Lord, Mr Justice Crane. High Court Judges are entitled to be styled with the prefix
The Honourable while holding office: e.g., the Honourable Mr Justice Robert Goff. In writing, such as in the law reports, the titles "Mr Justice" or "Mrs Justice" are both abbreviated to a "J" placed after the name. For example,
Crane J would be substituted for
Mr Justice Crane. Female judges are still properly addressed "My Lord", but "My Lady" is acceptable in modern usage. The
Chief Justice of the United States may be referred to as either "Mr Chief Justice", or "Chief Justice". For example, "Mr Chief Justice Roberts" or "Chief Justice Roberts".
Catholic clerics Among
Catholic clergy, "Mr" is the correct honorific and form of address for seminarians and other students for the priesthood. It was once the proper title for all
secular clergy, including parish priests, the use of the title "Father" being reserved to
religious clergy ("regulars") only. The use of the title "Father" for parish clergy became customary around the 1820s. A diocesan seminarian is correctly addressed as "Mr", and once
ordained a transitional deacon, is addressed in formal correspondence (though rarely in conversation) as the Reverend Mister (or "Rev. Mr"). In clerical
religious institutes (those primarily made up of priests), Mr is the title given to scholastics. For instance, in the
Jesuits, a man preparing for priesthood who has completed the novitiate but who is not yet ordained is properly, "Mr John Smith, SJ" and is addressed verbally as "Mister Smith"—this is to distinguish him from Jesuit brothers, and priests (although, before the 1820s, many Jesuit priests were also called "Mr"). Orders founded before the 16th century do not, as a rule, follow this practice: a
Franciscan or
Dominican, for instance, becomes a friar after novitiate and so is properly titled "Brother" or, if a priest, "Father". Permanent
deacons in the United States are styled as "Deacon" or "the Reverend Deacon" followed by their first and last names (e.g. "Deacon John Jones", rather than "the Reverend Mr"). It is also customary in some places, especially in the
Eastern Catholic Churches, to address deacons while speaking, like presbyters, as "Father" or "Father Deacon". ==Other usages==