Washington Taking the Oath of Office

George Washington was inaugurated the first President of the United States on Thursday, April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the presidential oath of office. In his inaugural address, Washington said “the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”