George Washington’s first presidential inauguration took place in New York City on April 30, 1789.
The ceremony was held on the balcony of Federal Hall, then located on Wall Street. New York was the nation’s first capital under the Constitution, and the first Congress was meeting there when Washington arrived to assume office.
Robert Livingston, chancellor of New York, administered the presidential oath. Washington then delivered his inaugural address to Congress before attending a service at nearby St. Paul’s Chapel. John Adams had already assumed the vice presidency and presided over the Senate.
Washington’s inauguration is sometimes mistakenly associated with Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., both of which later served as national capitals. Philadelphia became the capital in 1790, while Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital in 1800. The 1789 ceremony in New York marked the formal beginning of the executive branch under the new Constitution.