Who became the first U.S. president under the Constitution, a figure linked to America250 history?

George Washington became the first U.S. president under the Constitution.

The Electoral College unanimously elected Washington in 1789, and he took the oath of office in New York City on April 30 of that year. He remains the only president to have received every electoral vote in either of his presidential elections.

Washington had commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later presided over the Constitutional Convention of 1787. His public reputation helped persuade delegates and citizens that the new federal government could operate with legitimacy.

Washington served two four-year terms, from 1789 to 1797, and voluntarily left office. His decision helped establish the tradition that presidents should not seek unlimited tenure, although the two-term limit was not added to the Constitution until the Twenty-second Amendment in 1951. His presidency belongs to the early national period following the independence celebrated in 2026.