Who became the first U.S. president, a milestone commemorated in America250 history?

George Washington became the first U.S. president, a milestone commemorated in America250 history.

Washington had commanded the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and then presided over the Constitutional Convention. His reputation and leadership made him the unanimous choice of the Electoral College in the first presidential election.

He took the presidential oath at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789. Chancellor Robert R. Livingston administered the oath, and Washington then delivered the first inaugural address to Congress.

John Adams became the first vice president, not the first president. Washington served two four-year terms and declined to seek a third, establishing a precedent later followed until Franklin D. Roosevelt won a third term in 1940.