United States order of precedence

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Orders of precedence

Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon People's Republic of China Denmark France Germany Hong Kong, China India Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica New Zealand Norway Poland Romania Spain Sri Lanka Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland Northern Ireland United States

The United States order of precedence is a nominal and symbolic hierarchy of important positions within the government of the United States. The order is established by the office of the President of the United States and can be changed by the President, though in practice it is fairly established and rarely modified. It has no legal standing; it does not reflect the United States presidential line of succession or the co-equal status of the Branches of Government under the Constitution, and is only used to indicate ceremonial protocol. The United States Department of State's Office of Protocol is responsible for enforcing matters of protocol in U.S. diplomacy.

[edit] Details as of June 2008

1. President of the United States (George W. Bush) and First Lady (Laura Bush)
2. Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate (Dick Cheney) and Second Lady (Lynne Cheney) (if present)
3. Governor (while in his or her state)
4. Mayor (while in his or her city)
5. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (Nancy Pelosi)
6. Chief Justice of the United States (John Roberts)
7. Former Presidents of the United States (in order of term) and respective First Ladies:
   1. Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) and Rosalynn Carter (if present)
   2. George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) and Barbara Bush (if present)
   3. Bill Clinton (1993–2001) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (if present)
8. U.S. ambassadors (while at their posts)
9. United States Secretary of State (Condoleezza Rice)
10. Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign states (in order of tenure)
11. Widows of former Presidents of the United States (in order of spouse's term):
    1. Betty Ford (1974–1977)
    2. Nancy Reagan (1981–1989)
12. Ministers of foreign powers
13. Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States (in order of appointment):
    1. John Paul Stevens (December 19, 1975)
    2. Antonin Scalia (September 26, 1986)
    3. Anthony Kennedy (February 18, 1988)
    4. David Souter (October 9, 1990)
    5. Clarence Thomas (October 18, 1991)
    6. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (August 10, 1993)
    7. Stephen Breyer (August 3, 1994)
    8. Samuel Alito (January 31, 2006)
14. Retired Chief Justices (none now living)
15. Retired Associate Justices of the Supreme Court
    1. Sandra Day O'Connor
16. Members of the United States Cabinet (in the order of the creation of their departments; note that the U.S. Secretary of State already appears above, at #9, also, the creation date for the Secretary of War is used as the date for the Secretary of Defense's spot in the precedence):
    1. Secretary of the Treasury (Henry Paulson)
    2. Secretary of Defense (Robert Gates)
    3. Attorney General (Michael Mukasey)
    4. Secretary of the Interior (Dirk Kempthorne)
    5. Secretary of Agriculture (Ed Schafer)
    6. Secretary of Commerce (Carlos Gutierrez)
    7. Secretary of Labor (Elaine Chao)
    8. Secretary of Health and Human Services (Michael Leavitt)
    9. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Steve Preston)
    10. Secretary of Transportation (Mary Peters)
    11. Secretary of Energy (Samuel W. Bodman)
    12. Secretary of Education (Margaret Spellings)
    13. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (James Peake)
    14. Secretary of Homeland Security (Michael Chertoff)
17. White House Chief of Staff (Joshua B. Bolten)
18. Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Jim Nussle)
19. Director of National Drug Control Policy (John P. Walters)
20. United States Trade Representative (Susan Schwab)
21. Director of National Intelligence (John Michael McConnell)
22. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (Zalmay Khalilzad)
23. President Pro Tempore of the Senate (Robert Byrd)
24. Other Current United States Senators (by Seniority; note that Robert Byrd, the most senior current Senator, already appears at #23 above)
    1. Ted Kennedy (November 6, 1962)
    2. Daniel Inouye (January 3, 1963)
    3. Ted Stevens (December 24, 1968)
    4. Pete Domenici (January 3, 1973)
    5. Joe Biden (January 3, 1973)
    6. Patrick Leahy (January 3, 1975)
    7. Richard Lugar (January 4, 1977)
    8. Orrin Hatch (January 4, 1977)
    9. Max Baucus (November 15, 1978)
    10. Thad Cochran (December 27, 1978)
    11. John Warner (January 2, 1979)
    12. Carl Levin (January 3, 1979)
    13. Chris Dodd (January 3, 1981)
    14. Chuck Grassley (January 3, 1981)
    15. Arlen Specter (January 3, 1981)
    16. Jeff Bingaman (January 3, 1983)
    17. John Kerry (January 2, 1985)
    18. Tom Harkin (January 3, 1985)
    19. Mitch McConnell (January 3, 1985)
    20. Jay Rockefeller (January 15, 1985)
    21. Barbara Mikulski (January 6, 1987)
    22. Richard Shelby (January 6, 1987)
    23. John McCain (January 6, 1987)
    24. Harry Reid (January 6, 1987)
    25. Kit Bond (January 6, 1987)
    26. Kent Conrad (January 6, 1987)
    27. Herb Kohl (January 3, 1989)
    28. Joe Lieberman (January 3, 1989)
    29. Daniel Akaka (May 16, 1990)
    30. Larry Craig (January 3, 1991)
    31. Dianne Feinstein (November 10, 1992)
    32. Byron Dorgan (December 15, 1992)
    33. Barbara Boxer (January 3, 1993)
    34. Judd Gregg (January 3, 1993)
    35. Patty Murray (January 3, 1993)
    36. Russ Feingold (January 3, 1993)
    37. Bob Bennett (January 3, 1993)
    38. Kay Bailey Hutchison (June 14, 1993)
    39. Jim Inhofe (November 17, 1994)
    40. Olympia Snowe (January 4, 1995)
    41. Jon Kyl (January 4, 1995)
    42. Ron Wyden (February 6, 1996)
    43. Sam Brownback (November 7, 1996)
    44. Pat Roberts (January 7, 1997)
    45. Richard Durbin (January 7, 1997)
    46. Tim Johnson (January 7, 1997)
    47. Wayne Allard (January 7, 1997)
    48. Jack Reed (January 7, 1997)
    49. Mary Landrieu (January 7, 1997)
    50. Jeff Sessions (January 7, 1997)
    51. Gordon Smith (January 7, 1997)
    52. Chuck Hagel (January 7, 1997)
    53. Susan Collins (January 7, 1997)
    54. Mike Enzi (January 7, 1997)
    55. Chuck Schumer (January 6, 1999)
    56. Jim Bunning (January 6, 1999)
    57. Mike Crapo (January 6, 1999)
    58. Blanche Lincoln (January 6, 1999)
    59. George Voinovich (January 6, 1999)
    60. Evan Bayh (January 6, 1999)
    61. Bill Nelson (January 3, 2001)
    62. Tom Carper (January 3, 2001)
    63. Debbie Stabenow (January 3, 2001)
    64. John Ensign (January 3, 2001)
    65. Maria Cantwell (January 3, 2001)
    66. Ben Nelson (January 3, 2001)
    67. Hillary Rodham Clinton (January 3, 2001) - If Bill Clinton is present, Hillary Clinton appears with her husband (see #7 above)
    68. Lisa Murkowski (December 20, 2002)
    69. Frank Lautenberg (January 3, 2003)
    70. Saxby Chambliss (January 3, 2003)
    71. Lindsey Graham (January 3, 2003)
    72. John E. Sununu (January 3, 2003)
    73. Elizabeth Dole (January 3, 2003)
    74. Lamar Alexander (January 3, 2003)
    75. John Cornyn (January 3, 2003)
    76. Norm Coleman (January 3, 2003)
    77. Mark Pryor (January 3, 2003)
    78. Richard Burr (January 3, 2005)
    79. Jim DeMint (January 3, 2005)
    80. Tom Coburn (January 3, 2005)
    81. John Thune (January 3, 2005)
    82. Johnny Isakson (January 3, 2005)
    83. David Vitter (January 3, 2005)
    84. Mel Martinez (January 3, 2005)
    85. Barack Obama (January 3, 2005)
    86. Ken Salazar (January 3, 2005)
    87. Bob Menendez (January 18, 2006)
    88. Ben Cardin (January 3, 2007)
    89. Bernie Sanders (January 3, 2007)
    90. Sherrod Brown (January 3, 2007)
    91. Jim Webb (January 3, 2007)
    92. Bob Casey, Jr. (January 3, 2007)
    93. Bob Corker (January 3, 2007)
    94. Claire McCaskill (January 3, 2007)
    95. Amy Klobuchar (January 3, 2007)
    96. Sheldon Whitehouse (January 3, 2007)
    97. Jon Tester (January 3, 2007)
    98. John Barrasso (June 22, 2007)
    99. Roger Wicker (December 31, 2007)
25. Governors of the States when outside home states (by order of admission of State to Union)
    1. Governor of Delaware (Ruth Ann Minner)
    2. Governor of Pennsylvania (Ed Rendell)
    3. Governor of New Jersey (Jon Corzine)
    4. Governor of Georgia (Sonny Perdue)
    5. Governor of Connecticut (M. Jodi Rell)
    6. Governor of Massachusetts (Deval Patrick)
    7. Governor of Maryland (Martin O'Malley)
    8. Governor of South Carolina (Mark Sanford)
    9. Governor of New Hampshire (John Lynch)
    10. Governor of Virginia (Tim Kaine)
    11. Governor of New York (David Paterson)
    12. Governor of North Carolina (Mike Easley)
    13. Governor of Rhode Island (Donald Carcieri)
    14. Governor of Vermont (Jim Douglas)
    15. Governor of Kentucky (Steve Beshear)
    16. Governor of Tennessee (Phil Bredesen)
    17. Governor of Ohio (Ted Strickland)
    18. Governor of Louisiana (Bobby Jindal)
    19. Governor of Indiana (Mitch Daniels)
    20. Governor of Mississippi (Haley Barbour)
    21. Governor of Illinois (Rod Blagojevich)
    22. Governor of Alabama (Bob Riley)
    23. Governor of Maine (John Baldacci)
    24. Governor of Missouri (Matt Blunt)
    25. Governor of Arkansas (Mike Beebe)
    26. Governor of Michigan (Jennifer Granholm)
    27. Governor of Florida (Charlie Crist)
    28. Governor of Texas (Rick Perry)
    29. Governor of Iowa (Chet Culver)
    30. Governor of Wisconsin (Jim Doyle)
    31. Governor of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
    32. Governor of Minnesota (Tim Pawlenty)
    33. Governor of Oregon (Ted Kulongoski)
    34. Governor of Kansas (Kathleen Sebelius)
    35. Governor of West Virginia (Joe Manchin)
    36. Governor of Nevada (Jim Gibbons)
    37. Governor of Nebraska (Dave Heineman)
    38. Governor of Colorado (Bill Ritter)
    39. Governor of North Dakota (John Hoeven)
    40. Governor of South Dakota (Mike Rounds)
    41. Governor of Montana (Brian Schweitzer)
    42. Governor of Washington (Christine Gregoire)
    43. Governor of Idaho (Butch Otter)
    44. Governor of Wyoming (Dave Freudenthal)
    45. Governor of Utah (Jon Huntsman, Jr.)
    46. Governor of Oklahoma (Brad Henry)
    47. Governor of New Mexico (Bill Richardson)
    48. Governor of Arizona (Janet Napolitano)
    49. Governor of Alaska (Sarah Palin)
    50. Governor of Hawaii (Linda Lingle)
26. Acting heads of executive departments
    1. Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Roy Bernardi) See also #9 above and #35 below
27. Former Vice Presidents of the United States (in order of term):
    1. Walter Mondale (1977–1981)
    2. Dan Quayle (1989–1993)
    3. Al Gore (1993–2001)
28. Other Members of the United States House of Representatives (by length of term served)
    1. John Dingell (1955)
    2. John Conyers (1965)
    3. Dave Obey (1969)
    4. Charles B. Rangel (1971)
    5. Bill Young (1971)
    6. Ralph Regula (1973)
    7. Pete Stark (1973)
    8. Don Young (1973)
    9. John Murtha (1974)
    10. George Miller (1975)
    11. Jim Oberstar (1975)
    12. Henry Waxman (1975)
    13. Ed Markey (1976)
    14. Norman D. Dicks (1977)
    15. Dale E. Kildee (1977)
    16. Nick Rahall (1977)
    17. Ike Skelton (1977)
    18. Jerry Lewis (1979)
    19. Tom Petri (1979)
    20. Jim Sensenbrenner (1979)
    21. David Dreier (1981)
    22. Barney Frank (1981)
    23. Ralph Hall (1981)
    24. Duncan Hunter (1981)
    25. Hal Rogers (1981)
    26. Chris Smith (1981)
    27. Frank Wolf (1981)
    28. Steny Hoyer (1981)
    29. Howard Berman (1983)
    30. Rick Boucher (1983)
    31. Dan Burton (1983)
    32. Marcy Kaptur (1983)
    33. Sander M. Levin (1983)
    34. Alan Mollohan (1983)
    35. Solomon P. Ortiz (1983)
    36. John M. Spratt, Jr. (1983)
    37. Ed Towns (1983)
    38. Gary Ackerman (1983)
    39. Jim Saxton (1984)
    40. Joe Barton (1985)
    41. Howard Coble (1985)
    42. Bart Gordon (1985)
    43. Paul E. Kanjorski (1985)
    44. Pete Visclosky (1985)
    45. Richard Baker (1987)
    46. Peter DeFazio (1987)
    47. Elton Gallegly (1987)
    48. Wally Herger (1987)
    49. John Lewis (1987)
    50. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (1987)
    51. Chris Shays (1987)
    52. Lamar S. Smith (1987)
    53. Fred Upton (1988) (Nancy Pelosi would ordinarily be here, having been in the House since June 1987, but is #5 by virtue of being Speaker of the House)
    54. Jim McCrery (1988)
    55. Jerry Costello (1988)
    56. John James Duncan, Jr. (1988)
    57. etc.
29. Delegates to the House of Representatives
    1. Eni Faleomavaega (1989)
    2. Eleanor Holmes Norton (1991)
    3. Donna Christian-Christensen (1997)
    4. Madeleine Bordallo (2003)
    5. Luis Fortuño (2005)
30. Governor of Puerto Rico (Aníbal Acevedo Vilá)
31. National Security Advisor to the President (Stephen Hadley)
32. Counselors and Assistants to the President
33. Chargés d'affaires of Foreign Countries
34. Former Secretaries of State
    1. Henry Kissinger
    2. Alexander Haig
    3. George P. Schultz
    4. James Baker
    5. Lawrence Eagleburger
    6. Warren Christopher
    7. Madeleine Albright
    8. Colin Powell
35. Deputy Secretaries of Executive Departments
    1. Deputy Secretary of State (John Negroponte)
    2. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (Robert M. Kimmitt)
    3. Deputy Secretary of Defense (Gordon R. England)
    4. Deputy Attorney General (Craig S. Morford) (Acting)
    5. Deputy Secretary of the Interior (Lynn Scarlett)
    6. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture (Chuck Conner)
    7. Deputy Secretary of Commerce (David Sampson)
    8. Deputy Secretary of Labor (vacant)
    9. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (Tevi Troy)
    10. Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Roy Bernardi)
    11. Deputy Secretary of Transportation (Maria Cino)
    12. Deputy Secretary of Energy (Clay Sell)
    13. Deputy Secretary of Education (Raymond Simon)
    14. Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Gordon Mansfield)
    15. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (Michael P. Jackson)
36. Solicitor General (Paul Clement)
37. Administrator of the Agency for International Development (Henrietta H. Fore)
38. Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Robert Joseph)
39. Under Secretaries of State and Counsels
40. Under Secretaries of Executive Departments
41. U.S. Ambassadors at Large
42. Secretaries of the United States Armed Forces:
    1. Secretary of the Army (Pete Geren)
    2. Secretary of the Navy (Donald C. Winter)
    3. Secretary of the Air Force (vacant)
43. Postmaster General (John E. Potter)
44. Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Ben Bernanke)
45. Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (James L. Connaughton)
46. Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (James H. Lambright)
47. Chairman of the Federal Thrift Retirement Investment Board (Andrew Saul)
48. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (ADM Michael Mullen)
49. Under Secretaries of Defense
50. Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (Gen James E. Cartwright)
51. Chiefs of Staff of the Four Services (in order of appointment):
    1. Commandant of the Marine Corps (Gen James T. Conway)
    2. Chief of Staff of the Army (GEN George Casey)
    3. Chief of Naval Operations (ADM Gary Roughead)
    4. Chief of Staff of the Air Force (vacant)
52. Commandant of the Coast Guard (ADM Thad W. Allen)
53. Commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands of four-star grade
    1. U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) (Gen. Victor E. Renuart)
    2. U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) (ADM James G. Stavridis)
    3. U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) (GEN Bantz J. Craddock)
    4. U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) (ADM Timothy J. Keating)
    5. U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) (ADM William J. Fallon)
    6. U.S. African Command (USAFRICOM) (GEN William E. Ward)
    7. U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) (ADM Eric T. Olson)
    8. U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) (Gen Kevin P. Chilton)
    9. U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) (Gen Norton A. Schwartz)
    10. U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) (Gen Lance L. Smith)
54. Generals of the Army, Generals of the Air Force, and Fleet Admirals (None living)
55. Lieutenant Governors (or the equivalent) of the States (by order of admission of State to Union)
    1. Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (John C. Carney, Jr.)
    2. Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (Catherine Baker Knoll)
    3. President of the Senate of New Jersey (Richard Codey)
       Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey - Effective January 2010
    4. Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (Casey Cagle)
    5. Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (Michael Fedele)
    6. Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (Tim Murray)
    7. Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (Anthony G. Brown)
    8. Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (André Bauer)
    9. President of the Senate of New Hampshire (Sylvia Larsen)
    10. Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (Bill Bolling)
    11. Lieutenant Governor of New York (vacant)
    12. Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (Beverly Perdue)
    13. Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island (Elizabeth H. Roberts)
    14. Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (Brian Dubie)
    15. Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (Daniel Mongiardo)
    16. Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee (Ron Ramsey)
    17. Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (Lee Fisher)
    18. Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana (Mitch Landrieu)
    19. Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (Becky Skillman)
    20. Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (Phil Bryant)
    21. Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (Pat Quinn)
    22. Lieutenant Governor of Alabama (Jim Folsom, Jr.)
    23. President of the Maine Senate (Beth Edmonds)
    24. Lieutenant Governor of Missouri (Peter Kinder)
    25. Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (Bill Halter)
    26. Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (John D. Cherry)
    27. Lieutenant Governor of Florida (Jeff Kottkamp)
    28. Lieutenant Governor of Texas (David Dewhurst)
    29. Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (Patty Judge)
    30. Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (Barbara Lawton)
    31. Lieutenant Governor of California (John Garamendi)
    32. Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota (Carol Molnau)
    33. Secretary of State of Oregon (Bill Bradbury)
    34. Lieutenant Governor of Kansas (Mark Parkinson)
    35. President of the West Virginia Senate (Earl Ray Tomblin)
    36. Lieutenant Governor of Nevada (Brian Krolicki)
    37. Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska (Rick Sheehy)
    38. Lieutenant Governor of Colorado (Barbara O'Brien)
    39. Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota (Jack Dalrymple)
    40. Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (Dennis Daugaard)
    41. Lieutenant Governor of Montana (John Bohlinger)
    42. Lieutenant Governor of Washington (Brad Owen)
    43. Lieutenant Governor of Idaho (Jim Risch)
    44. Secretary of State of Wyoming (Max Maxfield)
    45. Lieutenant Governor of Utah (Gary R. Herbert)
    46. Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma (Jari Askins)
    47. Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico (Diane Denish)
    48. Secretary of State of Arizona (Jan Brewer)
    49. Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (Sean Parnell)
    50. Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii (James Aiona)

[edit] External links

• Order of Precedence from the Office of the Mayor of City of New York
• US order of precedence, all the way down to junior military officers