UNITED STATES
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549

                                   FORM 13F

                             FORM 13F COVER PAGE

Report for the Calendar Year or Quarter Ended: March 31, 2008

Check here if Amendment [ ]; Amendment Number:
This Amendment (Check only one.): [ ] is a restatement.
                                  [ ] adds new holdings entries.

Institutional Investment Manager Filing this Report:

Name:GENERAL AMERICAN INVESTORS COMPANY, INC.
Address: 100 Park Avenue 35th Floor
         New York, NY 10017

13F File Number: 28-461

The institutional investment manager filing this report and the person by whom
it is signed hereby represent that the person signing the report is authorized
to submit it, that all information contained herein is true, correct and
complete, and that it is understood that all required items, statements,
schedules, lists, and tables, are considered integral parts of this form.


Person Signing this Report on Behalf of Reporting Manager:

Name: Eugene S. Stark
Title: Vice-President, Administration
Phone: 212-916-8447
Signature, Place, and Date of Signing:

  Eugene S. Stark   New York, NY   April 28, 2008


Report Type (Check only one.):

[X]    13F HOLDINGS REPORT.

[ ]    13F NOTICE.

[ ]    13F COMBINATION REPORT.


List of Other Managers Reporting for this Manager:

        Form 13F File Number                Name


I AM SIGNING THIS REPORT AS REQUIRED BY THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.


FORM 13F SUMMARY PAGE


Report Summary:

Number of Other Included Managers:       0

Form 13F Information Table Entry Total:  58

Form 13F Information Table Value Total:  $1168706882



List of Other Included Managers:

No.   13F File Number    Name





                                                                               
                                                             VALUE    SHARES/ SH/ PUT/ INVSTMT            -----VOTING AUTHORITY-----
  NAME OF ISSUER                 -TITLE OF CLASS- --CUSIP-- x$1000    PRN AMT PRN CALL DSCRETN -MANAGERS-     SOLE   SHARED     NONE
ABB Ltd. ADR                     COMMON           000375204    26920  1000000 SH       SOLE                1000000        0        0
Arch Capital Group Ltd.          COMMON           G0450A105    22318   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
Adams Express Company            COMMON           006212104     1474   117798 SH       SOLE                 117798        0        0
American International Group,Inc COMMON           026874107    19463   450000 SH       SOLE                 450000        0        0
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.        COMMON           014482103    10171   236100 SH       SOLE                 236100        0        0
Alkermes, Inc.                   COMMON           01642T108      950    80000 SH       SOLE                  80000        0        0
The Allstate Corporation         COMMON           020002101    15860   330000 SH       SOLE                 330000        0        0
Apache Corporation               COMMON           037411105    72492   600000 SH       SOLE                 600000        0        0
Activision, Inc.                 COMMON           004930202    19117   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
American Express Company         COMMON           025816109    17488   400000 SH       SOLE                 400000        0        0
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited    COMMON           G0692U109     6966   205000 SH       SOLE                 205000        0        0
BearingPoint, Inc.               COMMON           074002106     1680  1000000 SH       SOLE                1000000        0        0
Biogen Idec Inc.                 COMMON           09062X103     5552    90000 SH       SOLE                  90000        0        0
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A  COMMON           084670108    26680      200 SH       SOLE                    200        0        0
Central Securities Corporation   COMMON           155123102      752    30578 SH       SOLE                  30578        0        0
Cougar Biotechnology, Inc.       COMMON           222083107     1477    70500 SH       SOLE                  70500        0        0
Costco Wholesale Corporation     COMMON           22160K105    37358   575000 SH       SOLE                 575000        0        0
Carpenter Technology Corporation COMMON           144285103    17966   321000 SH       SOLE                 321000        0        0
Cisco Systems, Inc.              COMMON           17275R102    21681   900000 SH       SOLE                 900000        0        0
CEMEX, S.A. de C.V. ADR          COMMON           151290889    58140  2225862 SH       SOLE                2225862        0        0
Cytokinetics, Incorporated       COMMON           23282W100     1759   529900 SH       SOLE                 529900        0        0
Dell Inc.                        COMMON           24702R101    29880  1500000 SH       SOLE                1500000        0        0
Diageo plc ADR                   COMMON           25243Q205    28462   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
Genentech, Inc.                  COMMON           368710406    16236   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0
Fidelity National Information    COMMON           31620M106     5912   155000 SH       SOLE                 155000        0        0
Fidelity National Financial, Inc COMMON           31620R105    25204  1375000 SH       SOLE                1375000        0        0
Gilead Sciences, Inc.            COMMON           375558103     6158   119500 SH       SOLE                 119500        0        0
Halliburton Company              COMMON           406216101    31464   800000 SH       SOLE                 800000        0        0
The Home Depot, Inc.             COMMON           437076102    30767  1100000 SH       SOLE                1100000        0        0
Hewitt Associates, Inc.Class A   COMMON           42822Q100    21874   550000 SH       SOLE                 550000        0        0
Lamar Advertising Company        COMMON           512815101    11645   324100 SH       SOLE                 324100        0        0
Leap Wireless International, Inc COMMON           521863308     7107   152500 SH       SOLE                 152500        0        0
MetLife, Inc.                    COMMON           59156R108    15969   265000 SH       SOLE                 265000        0        0
Microsoft Corporation            COMMON           594918104    16177   570000 SH       SOLE                 570000        0        0
M&T Bank Corporation             COMMON           55261F104    24144   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
Nelnet, Inc.                     COMMON           64031N108    13513  1150000 SH       SOLE                1150000        0        0
NetEase.com, Inc.                COMMON           64110W102     4706   245000 SH       SOLE                 245000        0        0
MetroPCS Communications Inc.     COMMON           591708102    14510   853500 SH       SOLE                 853500        0        0
PepsiCo, Inc.                    COMMON           713448108    14440   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0
PartnerRe Ltd.                   COMMON           G6852T105    20983   275000 SH       SOLE                 275000        0        0
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.       COMMON           703481101    18326   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
QUALCOMM Incorporated            COMMON           747525103    32800   800000 SH       SOLE                 800000        0        0
Everest Re Group, Ltd.           COMMON           G3223R108    28202   315000 SH       SOLE                 315000        0        0
Republic Services, Inc.          COMMON           760759100    25775   881500 SH       SOLE                 881500        0        0
Royce Value Trust                COMMON           780910105     1942   123861 SH       SOLE                 123861        0        0
Sprint Nextel Corporation        COMMON           852061100     3211   480000 SH       SOLE                 480000        0        0
Teradata Corporation             COMMON           88076W103     6397   290000 SH       SOLE                 290000        0        0
Target Corporation               COMMON           87612E106    16882   333100 SH       SOLE                 333100        0        0
THQ Inc.                         COMMON           872443403     7957   365000 SH       SOLE                 365000        0        0
The TJX Companies, Inc.          COMMON           872540109    55392  1675000 SH       SOLE                1675000        0        0
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.     COMMON           893521104     8626   130000 SH       SOLE                 130000        0        0
Textron Inc.                     COMMON           883203101    33291   600700 SH       SOLE                 600700        0        0
United Technologies Corporation  COMMON           913017109    22367   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
Wachovia Corporation             COMMON           929903102    16605   615000 SH       SOLE                 615000        0        0
Weatherford International Ltd.   COMMON           G95089101    89500  1235000 SH       SOLE                1235000        0        0
Waste Management, Inc.           COMMON           94106L109    22821   680000 SH       SOLE                 680000        0        0
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.            COMMON           931142103    24760   470000 SH       SOLE                 470000        0        0
Xerox Corporation                COMMON           984121103    28443  1900000 SH       SOLE                1900000        0        0