diff --git a/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js b/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
index 2c9a3231a322..7b4cf7a3b944 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
+++ b/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
@@ -1316,7 +1316,10 @@ function ComposeStartup(recycled, aParams)
           // Force color picker on toolbar to show document colors
           onFontColorChange();
           onBackgroundColorChange();
-        }
+        }
+
+        // reset the priorty field for recycled windows
+        updatePriorityToolbarButton('normal');
       } 
       else 
       {
@@ -1842,21 +1845,39 @@ function MessageFcc(menuItem)
     }
   }
 }
+
+function updatePriorityMenu()
+{
+  if (gMsgCompose)
+  {
+    var msgCompFields = gMsgCompose.compFields;
+    if (msgCompFields && msgCompFields.priority)
+    {
+      var priorityMenu = document.getElementById('priorityMenu' ); 
+      priorityMenu.getElementsByAttribute( "checked", 'true' )[0].removeAttribute('checked');
+      priorityMenu.getElementsByAttribute( "value", msgCompFields.priority )[0].setAttribute('checked', 'true');
+    }
+
+  }
+}
+
+function updatePriorityToolbarButton(newPriorityValue)
+{
+  var prioritymenu = document.getElementById('priorityMenu-button');
+  if (prioritymenu)
+    prioritymenu.value = newPriorityValue;
+}
 
 function PriorityMenuSelect(target)
 {
   if (gMsgCompose)
   {
     var msgCompFields = gMsgCompose.compFields;
-    if (msgCompFields)
-      switch (target.getAttribute('id'))
-      {
-        case "priority_lowest":  msgCompFields.priority = "lowest";   break;
-        case "priority_low":     msgCompFields.priority = "low";      break;
-        case "priority_normal":  msgCompFields.priority = "normal";   break;
-        case "priority_high":    msgCompFields.priority = "high";     break;
-        case "priotity_highest": msgCompFields.priority = "highest";  break;
-      }
+    if (msgCompFields)
+      msgCompFields.priority = target.getAttribute('value');
+
+    // keep priority toolbar button in synch with possible changes via the menu item
+    updatePriorityToolbarButton(target.getAttribute('value'));
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul b/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul
index ea7417be2acf..17702f7ce911 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul
+++ b/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul
@@ -380,13 +380,13 @@
               <menuitem type="radio" name="output_format" label="&bothFormatCmd.label;" accesskey="&bothFormatCmd.accesskey;" id="format_both"/>
             </menupopup>
           </menu>
-          <menu id="priorityMenu" label="&priorityMenu.label;" accesskey="&priorityMenu.accesskey;" oncommand="PriorityMenuSelect(event.target);">
+          <menu id="priorityMenu" label="&priorityMenu.label;" accesskey="&priorityMenu.accesskey;" onpopupshowing="updatePriorityMenu();" oncommand="PriorityMenuSelect(event.target);">
             <menupopup>
-              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&lowestPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&lowestPriorityCmd.accesskey;" id="priority_lowest"/>
-              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&lowPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&lowPriorityCmd.accesskey;" id="priority_low"/>
-              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&normalPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&normalPriorityCmd.accesskey;" id="priority_normal" checked="true"/>
-              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&highPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&highPriorityCmd.accesskey;" id="priority_high"/>
-              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&highestPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&highestPriorityCmd.accesskey;" id="priotity_highest"/>
+              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&lowestPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&lowestPriorityCmd.accesskey;" value="lowest"  id="priority_lowest"/>
+              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&lowPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&lowPriorityCmd.accesskey;" value="low" id="priority_low"/>
+              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&normalPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&normalPriorityCmd.accesskey;" value="normal" id="priority_normal" checked="true"/>
+              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&highPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&highPriorityCmd.accesskey;" value="high" id="priority_high"/>
+              <menuitem type="radio" name="priority" label="&highestPriorityCmd.label;" accesskey="&highestPriorityCmd.accesskey;" value="highest" id="priority_highest"/>
             </menupopup>
           </menu>
           <menu id="fccMenu" label="&fileCarbonCopyCmd.label;" 
@@ -549,6 +549,7 @@
                id="quoteButton" label="&quoteButton.label;" 
                tooltiptext="&quoteButton.tooltip;" 
                command="cmd_quoteMessage"/>
+
     <toolbarbutton id="cut-button" class="toolbarbutton-1"
                    label="&cutCmd.label;"
                    command="cmd_cut"
@@ -562,11 +563,25 @@
                    command="cmd_paste"
                    tooltiptext="&pasteButton.tooltip;"/>
 
+    <toolbaritem id="priority-button" align="center" pack="center">
+      <label value="&priorityButton.label;"/>
+      <menulist id="priorityMenu-button" value="normal" oncommand="PriorityMenuSelect(event.target);">
+        <menupopup>
+          <menuitem name="priority" label="&lowestPriorityCmd.label;"  value="lowest"   id="list_priority_lowest"/>
+          <menuitem name="priority" label="&lowPriorityCmd.label;"     value="low"      id="list_priority_low"/>
+          <menuitem name="priority" label="&normalPriorityCmd.label;"  value="normal"   id="list_priority_normal"/>
+          <menuitem name="priority" label="&highPriorityCmd.label;"    value="high"     id="list_priority_high"/>
+          <menuitem name="priority" label="&highestPriorityCmd.label;" value="highest"  id="list_priotity_highest"/>
+        </menupopup>
+      </menulist>
+    </toolbaritem>
+
     <toolbaritem id="throbber-box" align="center" pack="center">
       <button id="navigator-throbber" oncommand="loadThrobberUrl('compose.throbber.url')" tooltiptext="&throbber.tooltip;">
           <observes element="broadcaster_throbber" attribute="busy"/>
       </button>
-    </toolbaritem>
+    </toolbaritem>
+
   </toolbarpalette>
 
   <toolbar id="composeToolbar" class="toolbar-primary chromeclass-toolbar"
diff --git a/mail/components/compose/locale/messengercompose.dtd b/mail/components/compose/locale/messengercompose.dtd
index acede3eeac2e..dcebbe675eef 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/locale/messengercompose.dtd
+++ b/mail/components/compose/locale/messengercompose.dtd
@@ -137,7 +137,8 @@
 <!ENTITY bothFormatCmd.label "Plain and Rich (HTML) Text">
 <!ENTITY bothFormatCmd.accesskey "l">
 <!ENTITY priorityMenu.label "Priority">
-<!ENTITY priorityMenu.accesskey "p">
+<!ENTITY priorityMenu.accesskey "p">
+<!ENTITY priorityButton.label "Priority:">
 <!ENTITY lowestPriorityCmd.label "Lowest">
 <!ENTITY lowestPriorityCmd.accesskey "l">
 <!ENTITY lowPriorityCmd.label "Low">