Charles Donald Fegert: The Chicago Newspaper Executive Who Married Barbara Eden
Charles Donald Fegert was a Chicago newspaper advertising and publishing executive who became widely known through his marriage to actress Barbara Eden, the star of I Dream of Jeannie. His connection to Hollywood often overshadows a career that was already well established before the couple married in 1977. Historical records place Fegert in senior advertising and management positions connected with the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. By the early 1980s, national newspaper coverage identified him as an executive vice president of the Sun-Times. His marriage to Eden lasted only a few years and later became a difficult chapter in the actress’s memoir.
Charles Donald Fegert Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Donald Fegert |
| Also known as | Charles Fegert, Chuck Fegert |
| Profession | Newspaper advertising and publishing executive |
| Associated newspapers | Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily News |
| Senior role | Executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times |
| Famous spouse | Barbara Eden |
| Marriage date | September 3, 1977 |
| Marriage ended | Early 1980s; established sources differ between 1982 and 1983 |
| Death | 2002 |
Who Was Charles Donald Fegert?
Charles Donald Fegert was not an actor, producer, or television personality. His professional world was newspaper advertising, marketing, and management in Chicago.
One of the clearest contemporary records of his career appears in the U.S. Congressional Record. In February 1972, Representative Daniel Rostenkowski identified Charles Fegert as the advertising manager of both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News. The reference concerned an advertising-policy decision made by the two newspapers and establishes Fegert’s management role several years before his marriage to Barbara Eden.
This distinction matters because Fegert is sometimes described simply as a celebrity husband. His documented newspaper career predates his relationship with Eden and continued during their marriage.
His Career in Chicago Newspaper Publishing
Fegert worked during a major transitional period for American newspapers. The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News were both connected to Field Enterprises, the Chicago media company controlled by the Field family. Field Enterprises had acquired the Daily News in 1959 while already owning the Sun-Times.
By 1972, Fegert was managing advertising for both newspapers. His position placed him on the commercial side of publishing, where advertising revenue was central to the financial health of metropolitan newspapers.
A UPI/Bettmann photograph taken on September 1, 1977, identifies Fegert as a marketing executive for the Chicago Sun-Times. The photograph shows him with his fiancée Barbara Eden in his Chicago office, two days before their wedding.
His title continued to rise. In March 1980, The Washington Post referred to Fegert as the executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times. The newspaper used the same title again in March 1981.
Charles Fegert Career Timeline
| Year | Documented event |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Identified by the Congressional Record as advertising manager of the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News |
| 1977 | Identified by UPI/Bettmann as a Chicago Sun-Times marketing executive |
| 1978 | Chicago Daily News ceased publication and was absorbed into the Sun-Times |
| 1980 | The Washington Post called Fegert executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times |
| 1981 | Again identified nationally as the Sun-Times executive vice president |
The Chicago Daily News closed in March 1978 after more than a century of publication. The Encyclopedia of Chicago records that it was absorbed by the Sun-Times, leaving Fegert’s later documented executive career centered on the surviving newspaper.
Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden was already one of television’s recognizable stars when she became involved with Fegert. Her role as Jeannie in NBC’s I Dream of Jeannie, which originally ran from 1965 to 1970, had made her internationally famous.
Fegert and Eden married on September 3, 1977. A contemporary Bettmann archive caption places their planned wedding at a garden ceremony in suburban Long Grove, Illinois. It also confirms that Fegert was working as a Sun-Times marketing executive immediately before the marriage.
For Eden, it was her second marriage. Biography.com records that she had previously been married to actor Michael Ansara and later married real-estate developer Jon Eicholtz in 1991.
Fegert’s marriage to a television star also placed him in national social coverage. In 1980, The Washington Post mentioned Eden while describing her as the wife of Chicago Sun-Times executive vice president Charles Fegert.
Why Did Barbara Eden and Charles Fegert Divorce?
The most detailed description of problems inside the marriage comes from Eden herself.
Her 2011 memoir, Jeannie Out of the Bottle, discusses her second marriage as part of the actress’s personal history. Penguin Random House’s official description of the memoir characterizes Eden’s second husband as verbally abusive and struggling with drug addiction. Those descriptions should be understood as Eden’s account of the relationship rather than independent findings about Fegert.
Eden ultimately left the relationship. Sources differ slightly on the formal end date. Biography.com and reference material hosted by Encyclopedia.com list the divorce in 1983, while some accounts describe the marriage as ending in 1982, apparently referring to the separation period.
The most careful description, therefore, is that their marriage ended in the early 1980s after roughly five years together, with the legal divorce commonly listed as 1983 in established biographical references.
His Connection to a Changing Newspaper Industry
Fegert’s career also provides a small window into the economics of big-city newspapers during the 1970s.
The Chicago Daily News had once been among America’s major metropolitan newspapers. By the late 1970s, however, afternoon newspapers faced declining readership and increasing financial pressure. Field Enterprises closed the Daily News in 1978 and folded it into the Sun-Times.
Fegert remained associated with the Sun-Times after that consolidation. His executive title in 1980 and 1981 shows that his newspaper career continued beyond the closure of the Daily News.
This professional record is one of the clearest parts of his biography. Claims found elsewhere about his exact wealth, salary, height, or specific business accomplishments are not supported strongly enough by accessible primary or established institutional sources to present as fact.
Was Charles Donald Fegert a Journalist?
Not in the usual sense.
The strongest contemporary evidence places Fegert in advertising, marketing, and newspaper management rather than reporting or editorial journalism. The Congressional Record called him an advertising manager, while the Bettmann archive called him a marketing executive. Later Washington Post coverage identified him as an executive vice president.
Calling him a newspaper executive or advertising executive is therefore more accurate than calling him a reporter or journalist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Charles Donald Fegert?
Charles Donald Fegert was an American newspaper advertising and management executive associated with the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. He became better known nationally after marrying actress Barbara Eden in 1977.
What did Charles Fegert do for a living?
He worked in newspaper advertising and management. In 1972 he was advertising manager for the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. By 1980, he was being identified as executive vice president of the Sun-Times.
When did Charles Donald Fegert marry Barbara Eden?
Fegert and Barbara Eden married on September 3, 1977, following a garden ceremony planned for Long Grove, Illinois.
Did Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden have children together?
Established biographies of Eden do not record any children from her marriage to Fegert. Eden’s son, Matthew Ansara, was born during her earlier marriage to actor Michael Ansara.
When did Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden divorce?
Biography.com and Encyclopedia.com list their divorce in 1983. Some other biographical accounts use 1982, likely reflecting the end of the relationship or separation rather than the final legal date.
When did Charles Donald Fegert die?
Public genealogy indexes place Fegert’s death in 2002. His specific cause of death is not established by the stronger accessible sources used for this biography.
Conclusion
Charles Donald Fegert is often remembered as Barbara Eden’s second husband, but the historical record gives him a distinct professional identity. He managed advertising for two important Chicago newspapers, later became an executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times, and worked through a period of major change in American newspaper publishing. His 1977 marriage to Eden brought his name into entertainment coverage, while Eden’s later memoir documented her difficult experience of the relationship. Separating those personal accounts from contemporary business records provides a clearer picture of who Fegert was and what can reliably be said about his life.
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