George Washington’s first inauguration took place on April 30, 1789, under the new U.S. Constitution.
The ceremony was held on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, then the nation’s capital. Washington traveled there from his residence in a procession watched by a large crowd. The event marked the formal beginning of the executive branch under the Constitution.
The date can be confused with March 4, 1789, which was the scheduled beginning of the first presidential term and the date Congress first convened. Delays prevented the Electoral College votes from being counted immediately, so Washington’s actual inauguration occurred nearly two months later.
New York Chancellor Robert Livingston administered the presidential oath. Vice President John Adams had already assumed office on April 21. Washington’s inauguration was the first such ceremony for a U.S. president, establishing traditions that later inaugurations expanded and adapted.