page_title: Francis Davis Millet
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Francis Davis Millet / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: English: Mrs Frank Millet ("Lily", nee Elizabeth Merrill) John Singer Sargent -- American painter 1885-1886 Private collection Oil on canvas 87.3 x 67.3 cm (34 3/8 x 26 1/2 in). Jpg: local
context_page_description: Francis Davis Millet was an American academic classical painter, sculptor, and writer who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.
context_section_description: Millet was close friends with Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Mark Twain, both of whom attended his 1879 wedding to Elizabeth ("Lily") Greely Merrill in Paris, France; Twain was Millet's best man.  The couple had four children: Kate, Edwin, Laurence, and John.
  Millet was acquainted with the famed American portraitist John Singer Sargent, who often used Millet's daughter Kate as a model.  He was also close to the esteemed Huxley family.
  
  Millet lived with Archibald Butt, who called him "my artist friend who lives with me", in a large mansion at 2000 G Street NW. They were known for throwing spartan but large parties that were attended by members of Congress, justices of the Supreme Court, and President Taft himself. There is some speculation that Butt and Millet were gay lovers. Historian Richard Davenport-Hines wrote in 2012:
  The enduring partnership of Butt and Millet was an early case of "Don't ask, don't tell." Washington insiders tried not to focus too closely on the men's relationship, but they recognized their mutual affection. And they were together in death as in life.
caption: Mrs Frank Millet ("Lily", née Elizabeth Merrill), John Singer Sargent, 1885–1886
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