Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain
See the White House Grounds Tour web page for a map and links to other attractions on the grounds of President’s Park.
The Butt-Millet Fountain in President’s Park memorializes two men who were killed on the Titanic: Major Archibald Wallingham Butt and Francis David Millet. Both men were friends and roommates and were on vacation in Europe. Butt’s body was never found; Millet was found and was buried in Massachusetts.
Butt was a military aide to presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Howard Taft and had an office in the White House. Millet was a member of the United States Fine Arts Commission. With many memorials for the Titanic victims in the works, it was argued that Butt and Millet, being public servants, should have their own memorial on federal land. President Taft had planned a ceremony for the dedication, but by the time the fountain was ready in late 1913, he was no longer president. The memorial was dedicated without any ceremony on October 25, 1913.
On one side of the memorial is a bas-relief military figure with a sword and shield representing Butt, and on the other side is an artist with a palette and paintbrush representing Millet.
An inscription around the lip of the fountain bowl reads:
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.
The fountain also serves as a water source for the horses of the U. S. Park Police.
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Last updated on April 28, 2020
