George Washington’s first United States presidential inauguration was held in New York City.
Washington took the presidential oath on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan. Chancellor Robert Livingston administered the oath, and Washington then delivered his inaugural address to Congress.
New York City was the temporary national capital under the new Constitution. The federal government later moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington, D.C., in 1800, which is why the first inauguration is sometimes incorrectly associated with the present capital.
The ceremony marked the beginning of the executive branch under the Constitution. Washington had been unanimously elected by the Electoral College, while John Adams became the first vice president after receiving the second-highest electoral vote.