E.L. Doctorow's original 1975 novel Ragtime from which the film was adapted, Waldo's role in the narrative is minor while Charles S. Whitman, the real-life Manhattan District Attorney at the time, performs most of the fictional words and deeds that the film assigned to Waldo. See also Philippine–American War (then known in the U.S. as the "Philippine Insurrection") Moro Rebellion New York Police Department Fire Department of New York Ragtime – a 1981 motion picture (based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow) featuring a fictionalized Rhinelander Waldo portrayed by James Cagney. References External links 1877 births 1927 deaths Commissioners of the New York City Fire Department New York City Police Commissioners United States Army officers Columbia School of Mines alumni United States Military Academy alumni