Born in Tasmania, Thomas Francis Long worked as a carpenter and miner before settling in Waihi in the late 1890s. Subsequently he was a miner and contractor at Karangahake and Thames before settling in Gisborne, where his various business enterprises failed, partly because of lack of capital, and he became bankrupt. In 1912 onwards he did some prospecting, partly for base metals, and during 1915 and 1916 explored the Tui portion of the Te Aroha mountain, unsuccessfully. Despite being involved in several small companies, lack of money continued to be a problem, and he became bankrupt for a second time. In 1927 he investigated Waiorongomai, with the same lack of success; it was his last venture before his death at a relatively young age. He was no more successful as a prospector than as a businessman.