Charles Donald Fegert was an American newspaper advertising executive who held senior positions in Chicago’s publishing industry during the 1970s. Although he became widely known through his marriage to actress Barbara Eden, the star of I Dream of Jeannie, he had established a professional career before entering the Hollywood spotlight. His work connected him to two prominent newspapers, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News, as well as their parent company, Field Enterprises. His career and marriage offer a look at a businessman whose professional life intersected with the entertainment world during the late 1970s.
Charles Donald Fegert: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Donald Fegert |
| Also known as | Charles Fegert |
| Profession | Newspaper advertising and marketing executive |
| Industry | Newspaper publishing |
| Associated newspapers | Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News |
| Corporate association | Field Enterprises |
| Notable position | Executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times |
| Famous spouse | Barbara Eden |
| Wedding date | September 3, 1977 |
| Marriage ended | Early 1980s |
| Death | 2002 |
Who Was Charles Donald Fegert?
Charles Donald Fegert was a Chicago-based businessman whose career centered on newspaper advertising, marketing and corporate management. He worked in an industry where advertising revenue was essential to the operation of major metropolitan newspapers.
By February 1972, Fegert was advertising manager for both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. His position was documented in the U.S. Congressional Record, which mentioned him during a discussion of an advertising decision made by the newspapers.
Congress.gov This establishes his professional standing several years before his marriage to Barbara Eden.
Fegert subsequently held executive positions within Chicago’s newspaper business. His professional responsibilities placed him in the commercial operations of publishing rather than in television, acting or film production.
Charles Donald Fegert’s Career in Newspaper Advertising
His work at the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News
During the 1970s, Chicago was home to several influential newspapers competing for readers and advertising revenue. The Sun-Times and Daily News belonged to Field Enterprises, a publishing company associated with the Marshall Field family.
Fegert’s responsibilities encompassed advertising for both newspapers. Managing newspaper advertising involved relationships with commercial clients, the sale of advertising space and decisions about which advertisements publications would accept.
A particularly clear example of his responsibilities appeared in February 1972, when Representative George E. Danielson discussed the two newspapers’ decision to reject certain offensive advertising. Danielson identified Fegert as their advertising manager and referred to his explanation of the new policy.
The incident provides a contemporary record of Fegert’s involvement in business decisions affecting both newspapers.
Advancement into executive management
Fegert’s professional standing continued to develop during the decade. An archival photograph dated September 1, 1977, identified him as a marketing executive for the Chicago Sun-Times. At the time, he was photographed with his fiancée, Barbara Eden, in his Chicago office.
Contemporary coverage of their wedding also identified him as a vice president of Field Enterprises, the company that published the Sun-Times and Daily News.
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By March 1980, Fegert was identified as executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times in a Washington Post account of that year’s Gridiron Club dinner.
The Washington Post His career therefore extended beyond the advertising management role documented earlier in the 1970s.
Working During a Period of Change in Chicago Journalism
Fegert’s professional career coincided with significant changes in the American newspaper business.
The Chicago Daily News, founded in 1875, had been one of the city’s important afternoon newspapers. Field Enterprises acquired it in 1959, bringing it under the same corporate ownership as the Chicago Sun-Times.
By the late 1970s, however, the Daily News was experiencing serious financial difficulties. Its declining readership and advertising revenue placed increasing pressure on its operations.
The newspaper published its final edition on March 4, 1978, ending more than a century of publication.
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This closure took place during the period when Fegert was associated with the company’s senior management. His documented executive position at the Sun-Times in 1980 shows that his career continued after the Daily News ceased publication.
Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden’s Marriage
1976–early 1980s
Charles Donald Fegert’s marriage to Barbara Eden introduced him to a much broader audience than his newspaper career had reached.
Eden was already an established television star. Her portrayal of Jeannie in the NBC sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, which aired from 1965 to 1970, had made her one of television’s recognizable actresses.
The couple were photographed together at Chasen’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills on March 26, 1976. The photograph, taken by celebrity photographer Ron Galella, documents their relationship before their marriage.
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Their September 1977 wedding
Fegert and Eden married on September 3, 1977, in a garden ceremony in Long Grove, a suburb of Chicago.
Only two days earlier, they had been photographed together at Fegert’s Chicago office. Contemporary newspaper coverage following the wedding described the groom as a vice president of Field Enterprises.
For Eden, this was her second marriage. She had previously been married to actor Michael Ansara, with whom she had a son, Matthew Ansara.
The marriage brought together two different professional worlds: Eden’s work in television and entertainment and Fegert’s responsibilities in Chicago newspaper publishing.
Their life as a married couple
Fegert and Eden occasionally appeared at social events connected to entertainment and journalism.
In March 1980, Eden attended activities surrounding the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, D.C., where prominent journalists, government officials and their guests gathered. Contemporary coverage identified her as Fegert’s wife and described his executive position at the Sun-Times.
Eden continued working in entertainment during their marriage. Her later television career included the film Harper Valley P.T.A. and the sitcom of the same name, which aired in the early 1980s.
Why Did Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden Divorce?
Fegert and Eden’s marriage ended after approximately five years.
Published biographies differ slightly on the date. Biography.com and Encyclopedia.com list their divorce in 1983, while PEOPLE’s retrospective coverage gives 1982.
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Eden subsequently discussed her personal experiences in her 2011 memoir, Jeannie Out of the Bottle, written with Wendy Leigh. The book covers her career, relationships and life beyond her famous television role.
She later married real estate developer Jon Eicholtz in January 1991.
Charles Donald Fegert’s Later Life and Death
Charles Donald Fegert died in 2002. Public genealogical listings record his birth as November 8, 1930, and his death as September 25, 2002, although these precise dates are not established by the contemporary career and marriage records discussed here.
Details of his final professional years and personal finances are not established sufficiently to provide a dependable account of his retirement or net worth.
His surviving professional record, however, places him in advertising management and senior executive positions during an important period in Chicago newspaper publishing.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who was Charles Donald Fegert?
Charles Donald Fegert was an American newspaper advertising and marketing executive associated with the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily News and Field Enterprises. He was also actress Barbara Eden’s second husband.
2. What did Charles Donald Fegert do for a living?
He worked in newspaper advertising and management. By 1972, he was advertising manager for two major Chicago newspapers. By 1980, he held the position of executive vice president at the Chicago Sun-Times.
3. When did Charles Donald Fegert marry Barbara Eden?
Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden married on September 3, 1977, in Long Grove, Illinois. Their marriage lasted approximately five years.
4. Did Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden have children together?
They did not have children together. Eden’s only son, Matthew Ansara, was from her previous marriage to actor Michael Ansara.
5. When did Charles Donald Fegert die?
Public genealogical records list his death as September 25, 2002, at age 71.
6. Was Charles Donald Fegert an actor?
No. Fegert was a newspaper advertising and publishing executive. His association with Hollywood came primarily through his marriage to Barbara Eden, rather than through a career in acting or filmmaking.
Conclusion
Charles Donald Fegert had an established career in Chicago’s newspaper industry before his marriage to Barbara Eden brought him wider recognition. His progression from advertising management to executive leadership at the Chicago Sun-Times is documented in contemporary records. Although his marriage to a famous actress remains an important part of his biography, his professional career places him within the business history of American newspaper publishing during the 1970s.
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