George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789.
Federal Hall stood on Wall Street and served as the first seat of the new federal government under the Constitution. Washington took the presidential oath on the building’s second-floor balcony before a large crowd gathered in the streets.
Robert Livingston, the chancellor of New York, administered the oath. John Adams, who became the first vice president, was also present. The ceremony took place nearly two months after Washington’s four-year term had officially begun, because Congress needed time to organize the new government and count the electoral votes.
New York City was the temporary national capital at the beginning of Washington’s presidency. The government later moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and finally to Washington, D.C., in 1800. Federal Hall was later demolished, and the Federal Hall National Memorial now marks the site.