George Washington was the first president of the United States.
Washington took office on April 30, 1789, in New York City, after winning unanimous support from the Electoral College. John Adams became vice president. Washington had previously commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and had presided over the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
His presidency established precedents later presidents followed, including using the title “President of the United States” and forming a cabinet of department heads. He served two four-year terms and declined to seek a third, returning to Mount Vernon in 1797. His voluntary departure helped establish the tradition of limited presidential tenure long before it became a constitutional rule.
Washington died in 1799, decades before the United States reached its first centennial. His role connects the Revolutionary era, the creation of the Constitution, and the early federal government that developed after independence.