George Washington was first inaugurated as United States president on April 30, 1789.
The ceremony took place on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City. Robert R. Livingston, the chancellor of New York, administered the presidential oath, while John Adams became vice president. Washington then delivered his inaugural address to Congress.
The first presidential term had legally begun on March 4, 1789, but delays in travel and congressional organization postponed the public inauguration. Washington's ceremony therefore occurred nearly two months after the constitutional government officially began.
The date is often mixed up with March 4, which was the original start date for presidential terms before the Twentieth Amendment moved inauguration day to January 20. It is also distinct from the Declaration's adoption in 1776 and the Constitution's signing in 1787.