RICHARD NIXON: 1913-1994 : Wilson Tries a Little Electioneering Along With His Eulogizing : Politics: Governor, facing November vote, makes the most of spotlight in a tribute to his mentor.

Sharing the stage with a cast out of history, Gov. Pete Wilson delivered a personal tribute Wednesday to Richard Nixon, calling the former President a political mentor who preached a valuable lesson--never give up.

Wilson, a friend of Nixon’s for more than three decades, joined President Clinton, the Rev. Billy Graham, Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole and former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger in eulogizing the former President before a crowd of dignitaries at the Nixon Library & Birthplace.

“It’s hard to imagine a world without Richard Nixon. For half a century, he played a leading role in shaping the events that shaped our lives,” Wilson said, adding that Nixon’s “intellect, insight and indomitable will could not be ignored. . . . He voiced bold ideas, and he left global footprints.”

For the Republican governor, the five-minute eulogy was more than a chance to voice a very public goodby to an old friend. It also gave Wilson--who cut his political teeth as a campaign aide during Nixon’s failed 1962 gubernatorial run in California--an opportunity to step into the spotlight at a critical juncture in his own political career.

With the November general election on the horizon, Wilson is trailing in the polls. The nationally televised address allowed the governor to show California voters a softer, more personal side. It also could potentially give a much-needed boost to his reelection efforts.

The eulogy--sandwiched between the words of Dole and President Clinton--was one of several acts by Wilson to associate himself with the Nixon funeral.

On Tuesday, Wilson was one of only a handful of dignitaries who waded into the masses as they flocked to the presidential library to pay tribute to Nixon. Wilson and his wife, Gayle, laid a wreath of yellow roses near Nixon’s coffin and stood briefly in silent prayer.

Before the funeral services, Wilson and his wife served as official greeters, ushering in former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush as well as longtime Nixon chums, such as Bob Hope. Each handshake was captured by the television cameras.

During his eulogy, Wilson told of being part of Nixon’s “extended family” of political workers who benefited from the former President’s time and advice.

“He was always there willing to share his insight and experience,” Wilson recalled, “and no American in this century had more of either.”

Nixon’s greatest strength was an unparalleled perseverance, he said.

“It’s the quality the greatest fighters have,” Wilson said. “They call it heart. Heart is what let Richard Nixon climb back into the ring time and again when almost anyone else would have thrown in the towel. . . . It was his heart that taught us the great lesson of Richard Nixon’s life--never give up.”

Yet, Wilson said, it was Nixon’s willingness not to fight when he lost the disputed presidential race of 1960 against John F. Kennedy that might be his greatest legacy.

“He would not go to court. He refused to fight it and urged others not to on his behalf,” Wilson said. “He would relinquish the prize that was his life’s ambition.

“Why? For a simple, but these days, remarkable reason--it was because he so loved his country . . . that he refused to risk it being torn apart by the constitutional crisis that might ensue.”

Wilson, who along with other speakers made no mention of the Watergate scandal that toppled the President, said Nixon learned his values in Yorba Linda and “never forgot” those small-town truths.

The former President also had wisdom for California when it began facing tough economic times in recent years, said Wilson. If the state keeps fighting, Wilson recalled Nixon telling him, “you’ll come back, better than before.”

“Dick Nixon’s heart--shaped by the grit and mores of this small town--never left California, and now we return it to the soil that bred him,” Wilson said.

“In Richard Nixon’s evening, his light burned bright,” the governor concluded. “Today, as we take him to rest, as we seek to measure just how great is the legacy he has left us, it is clear how truly splendid Richard Nixon’s day has been.”