Who was inaugurated as the first president of the United States in 1789?

George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States in 1789.

Washington took the presidential oath on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City, then the nation’s capital. Chancellor Robert Livingston of New York administered the oath on the building’s balcony before a large public crowd.

The inauguration followed the first presidential election under the Constitution. Washington was elected unanimously by the Electoral College, while John Adams became vice president. Washington served two terms, from 1789 to 1797, and established precedents for the new office.

Washington had previously commanded the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and presided over the Constitutional Convention. John Adams succeeded him as president in 1797, while Thomas Jefferson later became the third president. The first inauguration was held in April; regular inaugurations later followed different dates before moving to January 20 in the twentieth century.