Rep. James Oberstar long career in Congress comes to an end this week when his challenger, Republican Rep.-elect Chip Cravaack will be sworn in. Oberstar served 18 terms in Congress and had an opportunity to weigh in on a number of issues that affected the LGBT community. Hailing from the Northwoods and mining areas of the Range, Duluth and the North Shore, Oberstar represented an area with a small — but vibrant! — LGBT population, but nine times out of ten, he voted for LGBT rights.

Oberstar lost to Cravaack in an upset this fall. Cravaack opposes rights for same-sex couples.

In just the last two years, Oberstar helped two important pieces of legislation pass Congress and become law: A repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the passage of hate crimes legislation.

Oberstar voted to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and was a cosponsor of the bill. President Obama signed it into law just before Christmas.

He voted for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009 and was a cosponsor of that bill. It became law this year.

Also, earlier this year, Oberstar was among members of Congress who pressed Obama to condemn Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill.

Oberstar was a cosponsor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act in 2009, though that bill failed to become law.

In 2006, he voted against a bill that prohibits individual states from recognizing marital status and/or legal benefits from any other unions other than that of a man and a woman.

In 1999, he voted against an amendment that would have barred adoption by same-sex couples in Washington, D.C.

In 1995, he voted against adopting an amendment to repeal the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 which allows unmarried individuals, regardless of gender, to register as domestic partners, allowing them to be eligible for D.C. government health care.

In 1993, he voted to have a study conducted on policies that banned gays and lesbians in the military, a bill that was intended to stave of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The same year, Oberstar voted against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Also in 1993, he voted against a ban the use of public funds to implement or enforce DC’s Domestic Partners Ordinance.

The one bill with which Oberstar might find his otherwise positive legacy on LGBT rights tarnished is his vote for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.