George Washington took the presidential oath at the first U.S. inauguration on April 30, 1789.
The ceremony took place at Federal Hall in New York City, then the national capital. Robert R. Livingston, New York’s chancellor and highest judicial officer, administered the oath on the building’s second-floor balcony. Washington then delivered the first presidential inaugural address to Congress.
The ceremony followed the first presidential election held under the Constitution. Washington was the unanimous choice of the Electoral College, while John Adams became vice president. Although the Constitution established the presidency, the executive branch did not begin operating smoothly until Congress assembled and the election results were formally counted.
Washington’s inauguration marked the practical launch of the constitutional government that succeeded the Articles of Confederation. The event is therefore a useful milestone in the longer national story celebrated by America250, which extends beyond the 1776 declaration to the creation of the United States’ institutions.