Benjamin Wilson was a painter and amateur scientist who is notable for his work on electricity and his rivalry with Benjamin Franklin over the design of lightning rods (see RCIN 1090180).
Wilson argued for a rounded tip to lightning rods, believing that they were better at reducing damage in comparison to the tapered rods invented by Franklin. Wilson, an ardent royalist, had the support of George III, while Franklin was known to support American grievances against Britain. Franklin had lived in London since 1757 and would return to America in 1775 to attend the Second Continental Congress, which led to the American declaration of independence.
In 1777, following a competition held between the two inventions, the king declared Wilson's design the winner and ordered that it be used for the rods added to royal residences and the gunpowder stores at Purfleet.
In reality, both rods were effective, Wilson's was perhaps slightly more so due to the greater surface area it provided, but the difference was negligible. The competition led the king's physician and president of the Royal Society, Sir John Pringle, a friend of Franklin, to resign his posts due to his disagreement with the outcome.