MINISTER. In Governmental Law. An officer who is placed near the sovereign, and is invested with the administration of the government. Ministers are responsible to the king or other supreme magistrate who has appointed them. Kibbe v. Antram, 4 Conn. 134.
In Ecclesiastical Law. One ordained by some church to preach the gospel. All cler gymen of every denomination and faith. Haggin v. Haggin, 35 Neb. 375, 53 N. W. 209. A person elected by a Methodist society to be one of their local preachers, and ordained as a deacon of that church, is a minister of the gospel, within a statute exempting min isters from taxation. Baldwin v. McClinch, 1 Greenl. (Me.) 102. So is a person ed as a Congregational minister and ed as such over a town. Gridley v. Clark, 2 Pick. (Mass.) 403. See L. R. 8 Q. B. 69.
Formerly the word was applied only to deacons, but it is now the most comprehen sive ecclesiastical title. In the prayerbook it means the officiating clergyman, whether bishop, priest, or deacon. 14 P. D. 148.
Ministers are authorized in the United States, generally, to solemnize marriages, and are usually liable to fines and penalties for marrying minors contrary to the local regulations. As to the rights of ministers or parsons, see 3 Am. Jur. 268; Shepp. Touchst. Anthon ed. 564. Weston v. Hunt, 2 Mass. 500. See CLERGY; BENEFIT OF CLER GY; PARSON.
A name given to public functionaries who I represent their country with foreign govern ments, including ambassadors, envoys, and residents.
A custom of modern origin has introduced a new kind of ministers, without any par ticular determination of character ; these are simply called ministers, to indicate that they are invested with the general character of a sovereign's mandatories, without any partic ular assignment of rank, and without being invested with the representative character.
There are also ministers plenipotentiary, who, as they possess full powers, are of much greater distinction than simple minis ters. These, also, are without any particu lar attribution of rank and character, but by custom are now placed immediately be low the ambassador, or on a level with the envoy extraordinary ; Vattel, liv. 4, c. 5, § 74; 1 Kent 48; Merlin, Repert.
Owing to frequent disputes between the several classes of diplomatic agents regard ing precedence, the question was taken up by the Congress of Vienna and by the Con gress of Aix-la-Chapelle, with the result that diplomatic agents are now divided into the following classes: 1. Ambassadors, and papal legates or nuncios.-. 2. Envoys, ministers, or others ac credited to sovereigns (aupres des souve rains). 3. Ministers resident, accredited to sovereigns. 4. Charges d'affairee, acccredited to the minister of foreign affairs. Public ministers take rank among themselves, in each class, according to the date of the offi cial notification of the arrival at the court to -which they are accredited. Recez, du Con gr6s de Vienne, du 19 mars, 1815; Protocol du' Congres d'Aiw-la-Chapelle, du Novembre, 1818; Wheaton, Int. Law § 211.
Consuls and other commercial agents are not, in general, considered as public minis ters. See AMBASSADOR ; CONSUL ; RECALL.