New York City was the first U.S. federal capital, where George Washington was inaugurated in 1789.
Washington took the presidential oath on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City. The ceremony marked the beginning of the new federal government established under the Constitution. Robert R. Livingston, chancellor of New York, administered the oath.
New York served as the national capital from 1785 until 1790. During that period, Congress met there, and the federal government began organizing its executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Federal Hall stood on Wall Street near the site of the present-day Federal Hall National Memorial.
Philadelphia became the temporary capital in 1790, following a political compromise that placed the permanent capital on the Potomac River. Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital in 1800. This sequence explains why the city associated with the first inauguration differs from the capital associated with later presidents.