His grand-father Gustav Wilhelm Selmer (1814–1875) was an actor manager in the Trøndelag Teater of Trondheim, in Norway.
He joined the New York Sun in 1912, becoming its chief European correspondent and covering the First World War until 1917.
In 1933, under the byline G. Selmer Fougner, he began publication of a daily column in the Sun called "Along the Wine Trail".
In addition to including recipes from well-known restaurants of the time, Gourmet Dinners detailed Fougner's involvement with numerous dining societies such as Les Amis d'Escoffier and recounted banquets he had organized for their members.
Portly, balding, and always impeccably dressed, he was known as 'The Baron' in the larger world of food and wine that was his daily beat.