No Hyphen in Civil or Military Titles
The Hyphen
Rulebase Summary
Do not use hyphens in civil or military titles that denote a single office or rank (vice president, editor in chief, chief of police, lieutenant governor). These are established compound titles treated as one unit. However, if a prefix or suffix is added to such a title, hyphens are introduced throughout (ex-vice-president, vice-president-elect).
Examples
A. I spoke with the vice-president about it.
A. I spoke with the vice president about it.
Civil titles denoting one office are not hyphenated.
Q. Were you referring to the ex vice president?
Q. Were you referring to the ex-vice-president?
When a prefix like 'ex' is added, hyphens are introduced throughout the title.
Transcript Notes
Do not use hyphens in civil or military titles that suggest one office (vice president, editor in chief, chief of police). Note: if a prefix or suffix is added to these titles, the titles are then hyphenated (ex-vice-president, vice-president-elect). The hyphen comes only when the title is being modified.
Style Guide References (2)
Morson's
BGGP