Dear Wordminstrel: I have never heard any dispute about Franklin's invention of the lightning rod. If I remember correctly, he had observed "St.Elmo's Fire" either at sea or from tall buildings, and realized that it represented a dissipation of an electrical charge into the atmosphere. A lightning rod would also make a harmless route to the ground for a lightning stroke, preventing damage to the building.
With regard to the Statue of Liberty, I found a link that tells a great deal about its conception and creation. The sculptor was said to have denied that any human model had been used. The link is good reading.
http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/sl/history/liberty.html

Another link, about Franlin that says he invented the lightning rod.
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/inventor.html