Who was the first president inaugurated under the U.S. Constitution?

George Washington was the first president inaugurated under the U.S. Constitution.

Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City. Robert R. Livingston, the chancellor of New York, administered the oath because the federal judiciary had not yet been fully established.

Washington had been unanimously elected by the Electoral College in the first presidential election. John Adams became vice president after receiving the second-highest electoral vote. Washington’s inauguration marked the beginning of operations for the executive branch created by the Constitution.

New York City was the temporary national capital at the time. Congress later moved to Philadelphia and eventually to Washington, D.C. Washington served two terms, from 1789 to 1797, and his decision to retire helped establish the tradition of a peaceful transfer of presidential power.