George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. president on April 30, 1789.
The ceremony took place on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, then the nation's capital. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the oath of office before a large crowd, and Washington delivered his first inaugural address afterward.
The Constitution's first presidential term officially began on March 4, 1789, but delays prevented the government from operating fully on that date. Congress needed time to assemble, count electoral votes, and notify Washington at Mount Vernon. He traveled to New York before taking the oath.
The Bible used in the ceremony came from St. John's Lodge No. 1. Washington's inauguration established the executive branch under the new Constitution, linking the Revolutionary generation to the government that followed independence.