Where was George Washington sworn in as the first U.S. president?

George Washington was sworn in as the first U.S. president at Federal Hall in New York City.

The inauguration took place on April 30, 1789, after the new federal government began operating under the Constitution. Washington traveled from Virginia to New York, then the temporary national capital, for the ceremony. He took the oath of office on the building’s balcony facing Wall Street.

Chancellor Robert Livingston administered the oath, and Washington reportedly added “So help me God,” although historians debate the exact details of that phrase. Afterward, Washington delivered an inaugural address to Congress in the Senate chamber.

Federal Hall stood on Wall Street at the site of the present Federal Hall National Memorial. The White House was not the setting: the presidential residence in Washington, D.C., did not open until later, and the capital moved there in 1800.