At George Washington's first inauguration, who administered the presidential oath?

At George Washington's first inauguration, Robert R. Livingston administered the presidential oath.

The ceremony took place on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City. Federal judges had not yet been appointed, so the oath was administered by Livingston, the chancellor of New York and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the state. He was also a prominent Revolutionary-era figure and a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence.

Washington took office nearly two months after the first presidential term technically began. John Adams had already begun serving as vice president and presiding over the Senate. After Washington took the oath, he delivered an inaugural address to Congress and attended a service at St. Paul's Chapel.

The event is often confused with later inaugurations held in Washington, D.C. The first inauguration occurred in New York, which was the temporary national capital under the new Constitution.