George Washington became the first president of the United States.
Washington was unanimously elected by the Electoral College in 1788 and again in 1792. He took office under the Constitution, which had created the presidency as part of the new federal government. His first inauguration took place in New York City on April 30, 1789.
Before becoming president, Washington commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and presided over the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Those roles helped establish him as the leading figure of the new nation. He served two terms and voluntarily retired in 1797, creating an influential precedent for peaceful transfer of power.
A common mix-up is confusing Washington with John Adams, who was the first vice president and became the second president. Thomas Jefferson was the third president. America250 commemorates the United States’ 250 years since the Declaration of Independence in 1776, while Washington’s presidency belongs to the early years of the republic that followed.