McKinley, George, Vice-Admiral, c.1760-1852.

The papers consist of official papers for the Dutch expedition of 1799 and for the period of the Peninsular War; minutes and other documents relating to the Royal Naval Asylum, 1821 to 1830; a log of the Ganges, 1803; a draft account of the wreck of the Lively and many personal letters, 1789 to 1841.

Administrative / biographical background
McKinley entered the Navy in 1773, served in the West Indies during the campaign of 1778 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1782. He took part in the battle of the Saints and continued to serve during much of the peace. In 1798 he was promoted commander into the Otter fireship, in which vessel he was present at the North Holland landing of 1799, when Enkhuisen was taken, and was also present at the battle of Copenhagen in 1801, the year he became a captain. He then commanded a succession of ships in the West Indies, including the Ganges, 1802 to 1803, in which he returned home. As Senior Officer at Lisbon in 1806, he was given command of the Lively until her wreck in 1810, off Malta. During this time she took part in the capture of Vigo Bay and Santiago, 1809, and in the evacuation of part of Sir John Moore's army. From 1811 to 1815 McKinley served in the Mediterranean and then in the North Sea. In 1818 he was appointed Third Captain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich and in 1821 Governor of the Royal Naval Asylum; this appointment was combined with that of Captain Superintendent of Greenwich Hospital School in 1828. He was made rear-admiral in 1830 and vice-admiral in 1841.