George Washington began serving as the first U.S. president in 1789.
Washington took the presidential oath of office on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City. The first presidential election had been held under the new Constitution, and Washington was the unanimous choice of the Electoral College. John Adams became vice president.
Washington had already been central to the American founding. He commanded the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and then led the new federal government as it began operating under the Constitution.
The year 1789 is sometimes confused with 1781, when Washington’s forces and their allies won the decisive siege at Yorktown, or with 1776, the year associated with the Declaration of Independence. Washington served two presidential terms and left office in 1797, establishing an important precedent for a peaceful transfer of power.