Proper Use of Nicknames in Addressee/Salutation

Tyson Clugy:
I have a question about what is considered to be standard or proper use of nicknames in Addressee and Salutation fields. Let's say a constituent's full name is Mr. Joseph E. Smith. He is known to everyone as "Joe" therefore we have "Joe" as a Nickname. When addressing a formal letter, should it be Mr. Joseph E. "Joe" Smith or Mr. Joseph E. Smith or Mr. Joe Smith? Should the salutation include the nickname in quotes such as Dear "Joe" (with quotes) or should it be Dear Joe? (without quotes)

Tyson,

Was waiting to see if anyone else replied as an expert.   There are several online resources for addressee etiquette.  Most of those say if you use " " it's only in first reference, after that not needed.

I don't know that there's an answer for all situations.  Personally if it's formal enough to use "Mr. Joseph..." I wouldn't include "Joe".  We had a board member who was known by nickname in 99% of situations.  So for him "Mr. Joe Smith" would have been formal enough for any letter from exec.  Think the only time we used "Mr. Joseph..." was an event invite from another staff member.

Think you can use what you prefer.  Unless you find some different online references than those I use - they didn't really address this one.