Which U.S. president was first inaugurated in Washington, D.C.?

Thomas Jefferson was the first U.S. president inaugurated in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 1801.

Jefferson’s inauguration marked the first presidential ceremony held in the nation’s new capital. The event took place at the unfinished United States Capitol, then centered on Capitol Hill. Jefferson walked to the ceremony from his boardinghouse, rather than arriving in a formal carriage.

The election preceding the inauguration was unusually contentious. Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, tied in the Electoral College, so the House of Representatives selected Jefferson on its 36th ballot. John Adams, the outgoing president, had already left Washington and did not attend the ceremony.

Chief Justice John Marshall administered Jefferson’s oath. Jefferson’s 1,721-word inaugural address emphasized reconciliation after the bitter election and called for national unity. The inauguration also began a long tradition of holding presidential ceremonies in Washington, although later events moved to the Capitol’s east front and eventually its west front.