The person or thing in the first position.
The phrase "was first established" is a perfectly acceptable and usable phrase in written English. You can use it to describe the point in time at which something began. For example: The city of Philadelphia was first established in 1682.
A bishopric was first established there in 948.
Bushwalkers tramped, hunters trapped and Australia's skiing industry was first established.
Seet was first established in 2009 in response to the policy and infrastructural vacuum.
London was first established as the capital of a Celtic Britain by Romans from Italy.
When the network was first established there were only a handful of computer centres in America.
It was first established in the late 14th century to organize the collection of royal revenues.
The functional significance of acetylcholine was first established about 1921 by German physiologist Otto Loewi.
Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.
Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com