Who took the first presidential oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789?

George Washington took the first presidential oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789.

Washington’s inauguration marked the beginning of the new federal government created by the Constitution. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the oath on the balcony of Federal Hall, before a large crowd gathered in the streets.

John Adams had already become vice president and presided over the Senate. After taking the oath, Washington and other officials attended a service at St. Paul’s Chapel. Federal Hall also housed the first Congress and was the place where Congress drafted the Bill of Rights.

This event is sometimes confused with Washington’s later inauguration in Philadelphia in 1793. The 1789 ceremony was the first presidential inauguration, and it occurred in New York City, which served as the national capital before the government moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and Washington, D.C., later.