At the first presidential inauguration held in Washington, D.C., which president took office?

Thomas Jefferson took office at the first presidential inauguration held in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 1801.

Jefferson’s inauguration began his first term as the third president of the United States. The ceremony took place in the Senate chamber of the U.S. Capitol, in the nation’s new federal capital. Chief Justice John Marshall administered the presidential oath.

The event followed the bitterly contested election of 1800. Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College, so the House of Representatives selected Jefferson after 36 ballots. Burr became vice president, even though the two men later became political rivals.

Washington, D.C., had not hosted the earlier inaugurations. George Washington was inaugurated first in New York City in 1789 and again in Philadelphia in 1793. John Adams was inaugurated in Philadelphia in 1797. Jefferson’s ceremony also marked the first peaceful transfer of national power between rival political parties in the United States.