Ron Swanson as Vermont-born president? Netflix series pairs Nick Offerman, Chester Arthur

The first Vermont-born man to become president of the United States is about to get his turn as a 21st-century star, 140 years after he led the nation.

Chester Alan Arthur, born in Franklin County in 1829, will be among the historic figures depicted in the Netflix drama series “Death by Lightning.” The series is based on the 2011 book “Destiny of the Republic” by Candice Millard, which details the 1881 assassination of President James A. Garfield.

Arthur was vice president under Garfield and, following Garfield’s death, served as president until 1885. Prior to his political career taking off in New York, Arthur and his family lived in the Vermont communities of Fairfield, Williston and Hinesburg.

Netflix announced the series on Feb. 1, with Michael Shannon cast as Garfield and Matthew Macfayden set to portray the president’s assassin, Charles Guiteau. Production has not begun and a premiere date for the show has not been announced.

Word came out Feb. 28 about additional cast members. Betty Gilpin will portray Garfield’s wife, Crete Garfield, and Nick Offerman has been cast as Arthur.

Offerman, of course, is primarily known as a comic actor, especially for his work as the irascible vegetable-loathing Ron Swanson on the NBC comedy series “Parks and Recreation.” Arthur wasn’t necessarily known for his sense of humor – as president, he is best remembered for dismantling the spoils system for hiring government workers and for helping to build the U.S. Navy.

Arthur and Offerman share some physical traits – namely, that they’re both hirsute. Offerman often sports a full salt-and-pepper beard while Arthur was famous for his lush muttonchop sideburns.

Offerman, a native of Illinois, has been in Arthur’s former home state on numerous occasions. His most recent public appearance in Vermont came in 2019 when he gave two performances of his stage show “All Rise” at the Flynn in Burlington.

“I can't stay in Vermont too long because as a woodworker and a lover of nature and a lover of dairy products and beer and grass-fed meats, it’s so heavenly and tempting there,” Offerman told the Burlington Free Press in 2019. “And the coffee will make your hat fly off."

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Nick Offerman cast as Vermont-born President Arthur in Netflix series