Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain

Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain

NPS / Claire Hassler

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Sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain was the first memorial built on the Ellipse, dating to 1913. It honors Archibald Butt and Francis Millet, who were believed to be the only officials of the United States who perished aboard the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. Both the design and location of the memorial fountain were carefully chosen to represent the two close friends.

A relief panel on the south side of the fountain of a military figure with sword and shield represents Major Butt, and a north-facing relief panel of the artist with palette and brush represents Mr. Millet. Besides its role as a memorial, the fountain was designed to double as a water feature for passing horses.

Archibald Butt (1865–1912) was born in Augusta, Georgia, and began his career as a journalist, before working as the first secretary of the American Embassy in Mexico. Butt enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1898 at the start of the Spanish American War, and served in the Philippines, and then in Cuba during the first years of the twentieth century. In 1904, he was posted to Washington D.C., where he served as quartermaster for the Washington Military District. His years of military service were noticed by President Theodore Roosevelt, who appointed Butt his military aide in 1908, a position Butt held into William H. Taft’s presidency as well. In his capacity as military aide, Butt assisted with coordination of the president’s schedule and attended state functions at his side. In 1911, Butt was promoted to the rank of major by President Taft. Due to the political rivalry that emerged between Theodore Roosevelt and Taft surrounding the 1912 presidential election, Butt found it difficult to remain impartial between the two presidents he had served and took leave from his position. He traveled to Europe in March 1912 where joined his close friend Francis D. Millet. While in Rome, Butt delivered a personal message from President Taft to Pope Pius X, before boarding the RMS Titanic in April 1912 to return to the U.S. After news of Butt’s passing reached Washington, a devastated President Taft delivered a eulogy at the major’s memorial service. The president described Butt’s loss “as if he had been a younger brother.”

Francis D. Millet (1846–1912) was born in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts and was best known as an artist and muralist, though he possessed many talents. In his youth, Millet served as a drummer boy in the Civil War, and later as a surgical assistant. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University in 1869 and 1872, respectively. He later studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, before becoming a war correspondent for the New York Herald from 1877–1878 during the Russo-Turkish War. In 1905, Millet became a charter member of the American Academy in Rome and was later appointed vice chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Taft in 1910. His paintings are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate Gallery, London, and the Detroit Institute of Arts, among others. In addition to his work as a painter, Millet designed U.S. military medals for veterans of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.

Major Butt and Millet had vacationed in Europe together and were returning home to the United States aboard the Titanic when it sank in April 1912. At least one account states Butt and Millet were last seen assisting female passengers into lifeboats before the ship submerged. Both men were widely known in Washington's cultural, social, and political circles, and it was reported by the Washington Times that Butt was, “mourned by Washingtonians of all walks of life,” and that “none could help admiring either man.”

Inscriptions: In memory of Francis Davis Millet 1846–1912 and Archibald Willingham Butt 1865–1912. This monument has been erected by their friends with the sanction of Congress.