Jeff Hart (Love of Life)

Jeff Hart was a fictional character in the now defunct American soap opera, Love of Life. He was played by actor Charles Baxter.

Rosehill's crooked mayor

Jeff Hart was the mayor of the fictitious city of Rosehill, New York. He was a very evil individual and he was infamous for his very vicious and corrupt administration. His two best-known associates (really henchmen) were Assistant District Attorney Phil Waterman and city councilman Howie Howells. They did whatever he told them to do, no matter how devious and deadly it was.

He showed interest in newcomer to Rosehill, Meg Dale. Meg had always been attracted to wealthy, powerful and evil men, and Jeff Hart was certainly that kind of person. They had a torrid affair, and then married. He would be Meg's last husband.

This situation didn't please Meg's sister, Vanessa and the two sisters were once more sparring over morals. Eventually, Vanessa's husband, Bruce Sterling, had won a subsequent mayoral election, defeating him and bringing honest government to Rosehill.

Jeff had a son from a previous marriage, named David. David fell in love with Meg's daughter, Caroline Aleata, and she for him. However, Jeff knew no bounds when it came to immorality. His henchmen had locked Vanessa and Cal in a meat freezer, when they discovered that the "school beef" that was supposed to be served at Cal's school was in reality, horsemeat. He also threatened Ben "Beanie" Harper, when his stepson displeased him.

This angered Meg, who was not as evil as her monstrous husband. She finally realized what a monster he was and divorced him. She then helped her family gather information leading to the corruption that Hart had in his administration.

Jeff, knowing the walls were closing on him, and that he was headed for a sure conviction and a lot of prison time, decided to high-tail it out of Rosehill for good, but before he went, he delivered a slap in the face to his enemies, by raping his former stepdaughter, Cal.

David had caught him in the act and, heartbreakingly, something inside him finally snapped and shot his monstrous father dead for his vicious crime. David wasn't charged, but he was deemed mentally unfit, and went to a sanitarium. During this time, he gained the support of Arlene Lovett, who had divorced his former stepbrother, Ben, and offered her help when he needed it.