Colonel (U.S. honorary title)

The honorable title prefix and style of "Colonel" is designated legally for various reasons by US governors in common law to citizens, employees, travelers and visitors within their states. The origins of the titular colonelcy can be traced back to colonial and antebellum times when men of the landed gentry were given the title to commission companies or for financing the local militias without actual expectations of command.

Source: Wikipedia — Colonel (U.S. honorary title) (CC BY-SA 4.0)