On what date was George Washington’s first inauguration as U.S. president held?

George Washington’s first inauguration as U.S. president was held on April 30, 1789.

The ceremony took place at Federal Hall in New York City, then the nation’s capital. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the presidential oath from the building’s balcony before a large public crowd. Washington became the first president under the new Constitution.

The date is sometimes confused with March 4, 1789, which marked the scheduled beginning of the first presidential term and the new federal government. Administrative delays meant that the executive branch did not formally begin operating until Washington took the oath nearly two months later.

Washington’s vice president, John Adams, had already assumed his duties on April 21. After the inauguration, Washington and congressional leaders attended a service at St. Paul’s Chapel. Later inaugurations generally occurred on March 4 until the date moved to January 20 under the Twentieth Amendment.