As congratulations poured into his office from around the world, Governor George W. Bush was hailed as "chosen by God, as was Moses, to lead his people," at a church service to mark his transition to President-elect.
Mr Bush had requested the service in the Methodist church in Austin which he and his wife regularly attend. "He decided he wants to start this on a message of prayer and healing," his spokeswoman, Ms Karen Hughes, said.
As Mr Bush and his wife Laura sat together in the front pew, country and western music star Larry Gatlin sang a song he had written for the occasion with the refrain: "Come let us reason together and heal the hurt deep inside."
Healing after a bitterly divisive election was also the theme of Mr Bush's victory speech, delivered the night before from the podium of the Texas House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats. He was introduced by the Democratic House Speaker, Mr Pete Laney.
"Two hundred years have only strengthened the steady character of America. And so as we begin the work of healing our nation tonight, I call upon that character," Mr Bush said.
"The spirit of co-operation I have seen in this hall is what is needed in Washington D.C. It is the challenge of our moment."
He was speaking less than an hour after Vice-President Al Gore made a gracious concession speech. Mr Bush, paying tribute to Mr Gore's "distinguished record of service", said that during a telephone call they had "agreed to do our best to heal our country after this hard fought contest."
Mr Gore's concession speech was widely praised as one of the best he has ever made. Political observers said that it left the door open to a possible run for the presidency in 2004 but there is also criticism that Mr Gore ran an inadequate campaign and did not make enough use of Mr Clinton's political skills.
In the US Senate yesterday, Mr Gore's running mate, Senator Joseph Lieberman, made his concession speech. He thanked Mr Gore for having chosen him as the first American Jew to run on a major presidential ticket.
"The absence of bigotry in this campaign and the fact that the Vice-President and I received the second-highest number of votes in the history of American national elections should, I think, encourage every parent in this country to dream the biggest dreams for each and every one of their children," he said.
"While my faith was the focus of much of the early media reaction to my candidacy, it was not even mentioned at the end of the campaign and that was the way we had all hoped it would be."
In Washington, Vice-President-elect Dick Cheney was given access to the offices and $5.3 million in federal funding to aid the transition process. About 21,000 people already have submitted applications for some 6,000 jobs - from Bush Cabinet member to office secretary - which the Republican administration now has to fill.
Mr Bush will travel to Washington next week to meet Mr Gore and to visit President Clinton in the White House. The President, in Britain, spoke to Mr Bush to congratulate him after watching the two speeches on late-night television.
But some senior Democrats on Capitol Hill have indicated that Mr Bush will have to work hard to achieve the spirit of bipartisanship which he says is the model for his presidency. Republicans have bare majorities in both houses.
The House Democratic leader, Mr Dick Gephardt, said there are "still some Republicans in Washington who have not yet heard this message." He appealed to those "unbending to compromise, uninterested in consensus, to reconsider the new spirit that President-elect Bush is wanting to bring to Washington."
In his Texas speech, Mr Bush listed the areas where he hoped he could get Democratic assistance in passing new legislation. These included education, social security, prescription-drug coverage and tax relief.
"These priorities are not merely Republican concerns or Democratic concerns. They are American responsibilities," he said. "We have discussed our differences. Now it is time to find common ground and build consensus to make America a beacon of opportunity in the 21st century."
The full text of Mr Bush's acceptance speech and Mr Gore's concession speech are available on the US Election 2000 site at www.ireland.com