Rohrer became an elementary school teacher after graduating from Western Maryland College. She excelled in arts promotion in Forsyth County, North Carolina, being a member of the Winston-Salem Symphony Guild. She also served as a singer and choir member for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem as well as the Singers' Guild in Winston-Salem.
Political career
Rohrer became active in civic affairs while in Winston-Salem and in the 1960s started working with local Republican party committees. Rohrer ran for a seat on the Forsyth County School Board as a Republican, but lost. She moved up in party hierarchy over time, even getting her father involved: Howard Jemison served several terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives for Forsyth County. In the early 1970s, there was a growing split in the North Carolina Republican Party between supporters of James Holshouser and James Gardner for governor in 1972. Rohrer, a Holshouser supporter, was beat out for the chairmanship of the party by Gardner supporter Frank Rouse. Rohrer then became vice chairman of the party and during 1972 was interim chair when Rouse decided to temporarily step aside to campaign for Gardner. She was instrumental in helping resolve the rift between the two party factions. Her first try for statewide office also came in 1972. That year, Rohrer ran for North Carolina Secretary of State. She would wind up losing to long-time Democratic incumbent Thad A. Eure in the general election, 55.92%–44.08%. Actively encouraging more women to participate in politics, she became one of three candidates short-listed for the Nixon administration's choice for Treasurer of the United States in 1974. Francine Irving Neff was chosen for that position.
Secretary of Cultural Resources
After she lost the race for Secretary of State, newly elected governor Jim Holshouser decided to choose Rohrer to be head of the Department of Art, Culture and History. He also set about a program of government reorganization and renamed the department to be the Department of Cultural Resources. She served in the position from January 5, 1973 to January 10, 1977. Upon her appointment to the position, Rohrer became the first woman to hold a cabinet-level position in North Carolina. During her time in office, she created the Grassroots Arts Program, which helps bring arts programs to all 100 counties of North Carolina. This program still exists and is managed by the North Carolina Arts Council. After leaving office, she became active in several community projects and was hired as an executive at Duke University. In between her serving as DCR Secretary and the North Carolina Secretary of Administration, she also served as an instructor at Salem College and as an executive with the American Musical Theater Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Rohrer had been a lifelong proponent of both the arts and women's rights. She was very vocal in her support for North Carolina's passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, testifying before state legislative committees in support of the amendment. North Carolina did not, however, ratify the amendment. She was active in creating the Women's Forum of North Carolina in 1976 and, the next year, she led North Carolina's delegation to the National Women's Conference held in Houston.
Personal life
Rohrer was married to Robert H. Rohrer who was a business executive and had three sons with him. He died in 1964, leaving Grace Rohrer to raise the three children alone. She later married Don Huff and moved to Kennebunk, Maine with him until he died. She died on October 12, 2011, at her home in Boone.
