Charles Donald Fegert: Career, Marriage to Barbara Eden, and Life in Chicago Media
Charles Donald Fegert was an American newspaper advertising and publishing executive best remembered as the second husband of actress Barbara Eden. Yet his connection to the I Dream of Jeannie star tells only part of his story. Years before their 1977 marriage, Fegert had established himself on the business side of Chicago journalism, holding senior advertising and executive positions connected with the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. Contemporary records from the 1970s and early 1980s provide a clearer picture of Fegert as a media executive whose professional standing existed independently of his Hollywood connection.
Charles Donald Fegert Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Donald Fegert |
| Also known as | Charles Fegert |
| Profession | Newspaper advertising and publishing executive |
| Industry | Newspapers, advertising and marketing |
| Associated publications | Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily News |
| Known for | Senior Chicago newspaper career; second husband of Barbara Eden |
| Spouse | Barbara Eden |
| Marriage date | September 3, 1977 |
| Divorce | 1983 |
| Children with Barbara Eden | None |
Who Was Charles Donald Fegert?
Charles Donald Fegert worked primarily on the commercial side of newspaper publishing rather than as an entertainer. His career was centered in Chicago, where he became associated with two of the city’s important newspapers: the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News.
His professional record is unusually useful in understanding who he was because contemporary sources identify his responsibilities at several points in his career.
In February 1972, the U.S. Congressional Record identified Charles Fegert as the advertising manager of both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily News. The reference appeared during remarks concerning a decision by the newspapers to reject certain offensive advertising.
That record establishes that Fegert was already holding a significant management position several years before his marriage to Barbara Eden.
Charles Fegert’s Career in Chicago Newspapers
Fegert’s work belonged to the business side of journalism. Advertising was crucial to the economics of large metropolitan newspapers, and his positions placed him within that commercial operation.
His career can be traced through several contemporary records.
| Year | Documented Career or Life Event |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Identified in the Congressional Record as advertising manager of the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News |
| 1977 | Described in an archival UPI/Bettmann caption as a marketing executive for the Chicago Sun-Times |
| 1977 | Contemporary wedding coverage identified him as a vice president of Field Enterprises |
| 1977 | Married actress Barbara Eden |
| 1980 | Identified by The Washington Post as executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times |
| 1981 | Again described by The Washington Post as the newspaper’s executive vice president |
| 1983 | Divorce from Barbara Eden recorded in established biographical sources |
Advertising Manager of Two Major Newspapers
One of the strongest primary sources concerning Charles Donald Fegert is the Congressional Record dated February 9, 1972.
During remarks in the House of Representatives, Congressman George E. Danielson referred specifically to Fegert as advertising manager of both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. The remarks concerned the newspapers’ decision to draw a line against offensive advertisements.
This contemporary government record is important because it removes much of the uncertainty surrounding Fegert’s occupation. He was not primarily an actor, celebrity or entertainment personality. His established profession was newspaper advertising and management.
Moving Into Senior Executive Roles
By the late 1970s, descriptions of Fegert reflected a more senior corporate position.
An archival UPI/Bettmann photograph taken on September 1, 1977, shows Barbara Eden with Fegert in his Chicago office. Its original caption identifies him as a marketing executive for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Two days later, Fegert and Eden married.
Contemporary Associated Press coverage of their wedding identified Fegert as a vice president of Field Enterprises, which published the Sun-Times and Daily News. The different descriptions are consistent with a senior executive working within the newspaper company’s advertising and marketing operations.
By March 1980, The Washington Post referred to him as the executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times. The newspaper used the same executive designation again in coverage published in 1981.
Taken together, these records show a career progression from advertising management into senior newspaper leadership.
Charles Donald Fegert and Barbara Eden
Charles Fegert became much more recognizable outside Chicago after his relationship with Barbara Eden.
Eden was already an established television and film actress. Her defining role was Jeannie in the NBC sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, which originally aired from 1965 to 1970. She had previously been married to actor Michael Ansara.
An archival photograph dated September 1, 1977, identifies Eden as Fegert’s fiancée and states that the couple planned to marry in a garden ceremony in suburban Long Grove, Illinois, on September 3.
They did marry on September 3, 1977.
Contemporary Associated Press coverage published shortly afterward described Eden as the star of I Dream of Jeannie and Fegert as a Field Enterprises vice president. The marriage therefore joined two very different professional worlds: Hollywood entertainment and Chicago newspaper publishing.
How Long Were Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden Married?
Established biographies of Barbara Eden record that her marriage to Charles Donald Fegert ended in divorce in 1983.
Biography.com lists Eden’s first marriage to Michael Ansara as beginning in 1958 and ending in 1974. Her marriage to Fegert followed in 1977. She later married real-estate developer Jon Eicholtz in 1991.
Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden did not have children together. Eden’s son, Matthew Ansara, was from her marriage to Michael Ansara.
Fegert’s Career Continued During the Marriage
Fegert’s marriage to a famous actress did not replace his professional identity.
A useful example comes from The Washington Post in March 1980. While covering Washington’s Gridiron festivities, the newspaper referred to Eden as the wife of Chicago Sun-Times executive vice president Charles Fegert.
A year later, another Washington Post report again described him as the Sun-Times executive vice president.
These contemporary references matter because they show how Fegert was perceived during the period when his name appeared most frequently in national media. He was Barbara Eden’s husband, but he was simultaneously identified by a senior professional title of his own.
Was Charles Donald Fegert a Journalist?
Calling Fegert a journalist can be misleading.
The strongest contemporary documentation places him in advertising, marketing and newspaper management rather than news reporting. The Congressional Record specifically calls him an advertising manager, while the 1977 Bettmann archive identifies him as a marketing executive. Later reporting describes him as an executive vice president.
A more accurate description is newspaper advertising and publishing executive.
That distinction is important. Large newspapers are not made up solely of editors and reporters. Advertising, circulation, production and management have historically been major parts of newspaper operations, and Fegert’s career was concentrated on that business side.
What Is Known About Charles Donald Fegert’s Net Worth?
There is no dependable public figure for Charles Donald Fegert’s net worth.
Although his executive positions suggest that he had a successful professional career, assigning a specific dollar amount would require evidence such as salary records, financial disclosures, estate documents or documented holdings. Without that evidence, precise estimates should not be treated as fact.
His senior positions at major Chicago newspapers are a much more meaningful measure of his professional status than speculative wealth figures.
Why Charles Donald Fegert Remains Part of Barbara Eden’s Biography
Fegert occupies a relatively short but distinct chapter in Barbara Eden’s personal history. He was her second husband, between actor Michael Ansara and Jon Eicholtz.
For television audiences, that relationship naturally connects Fegert to the history surrounding I Dream of Jeannie. His own career, however, belonged to another major American media institution: the metropolitan newspaper.
The surviving contemporary record makes that distinction clear. In 1972 he was managing advertising for two Chicago newspapers. In 1977 he was described as a marketing executive and corporate vice president. By 1980 and 1981, national newspaper coverage identified him as executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times.
His marriage made his name familiar beyond the newspaper business, but it did not create his professional career.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charles Donald Fegert
Who was Charles Donald Fegert?
Charles Donald Fegert was an American newspaper advertising and publishing executive associated with the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. He is also known as the second husband of actress Barbara Eden.
What did Charles Donald Fegert do for a living?
Fegert worked in newspaper advertising, marketing and executive management. The Congressional Record identified him as advertising manager of the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News in 1972. By 1980, The Washington Post described him as executive vice president of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Was Charles Donald Fegert Barbara Eden’s husband?
Yes. Charles Donald Fegert was Barbara Eden’s second husband. They married on September 3, 1977, and their divorce is recorded as taking place in 1983.
Did Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden have children?
No. Charles Fegert and Barbara Eden did not have children together. Eden’s son Matthew Ansara was from her first marriage to actor Michael Ansara.
Did Charles Fegert work for the Chicago Sun-Times?
Yes. Multiple contemporary records connect him directly with the Chicago Sun-Times. He was described as an advertising manager, marketing executive and later executive vice president during different stages of his career.
What was Charles Donald Fegert’s net worth?
No reliable public documentation establishes Charles Donald Fegert’s exact net worth. Specific figures published without supporting financial records should be treated as speculation.
Conclusion
Charles Donald Fegert is most often remembered through his marriage to Barbara Eden, but contemporary records reveal a substantial career in Chicago newspaper publishing. He managed advertising for the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News, later held senior corporate positions, and was identified as executive vice president of the Sun-Times by the early 1980s.
His marriage to Eden brought his name into entertainment coverage, yet the clearest picture of Fegert is not that of a Hollywood figure. He was a newspaper advertising and publishing executive whose career was firmly established before he became the husband of one of American television’s most recognizable stars.
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