First president being sworn in at federal hall in new york city. That would have been in 1789, in april. How well where the duties and office that he was about to step into, how well where they defined at this moment when he was sworn in . They werent defined at all. There was a brandnew institution, certainly in america and really in the world, its a new experiment of an elected magistrate that would have at one point been the head of state, like a king, but also be the chief executioner of the laws, the chief executive in this case, the chief policy maker. And it wasnt exactly clear where the powers of the of the legislature and where thedefine. Powers of the president would be defined. And so washington really created that office. Reallmany of the precedents, mf the things that we come to think of as president ial really come downwn from his example in the office. He took the oath, what were his views at the time about expanding or restricting the power of the office that he was ste