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, 2009

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 AVE 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, 2009


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:  54

Form 13F Information Table Value Total:  $605494526



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    16728  1200000 SH       SOLE                1200000        0        0
Arch Capital Group Ltd.          COMMON           G0450A105    16158   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
Adams Express Company            COMMON           006212104      940   125004 SH       SOLE                 125004        0        0
The Allstate Corporation         COMMON           020002101     3351   175000 SH       SOLE                 175000        0        0
Alplha Natural Resources, Inc.   COMMON           02076X102     3550   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0
Apache Corporation               COMMON           037411105    29469   459800 SH       SOLE                 459800        0        0
ASML Holding N.V.                COMMON           N07059186    12257   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.        COMMON           014482103     4493   236100 SH       SOLE                 236100        0        0
American Express Company         COMMON           025816109     5793   425000 SH       SOLE                 425000        0        0
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited    COMMON           G0692U109     9918   440000 SH       SOLE                 440000        0        0
The Boeing Company               COMMON           097023105    10674   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A  COMMON           084670108    12138      140 SH       SOLE                    140        0        0
Central Securities Corporation   COMMON           155123102      449    34400 SH       SOLE                  34400        0        0
Cougar Biotechnology, Inc.       COMMON           222083107     2270    70500 SH       SOLE                  70500        0        0
Costco Wholesale Corporation     COMMON           22160K105    26634   575000 SH       SOLE                 575000        0        0
Cisco Systems, Inc.              COMMON           17275R102    16099   960000 SH       SOLE                 960000        0        0
CEMEX, S.A. de C.V. ADR          COMMON           151290889    11724  1875862 SH       SOLE                1875862        0        0
Cytokinetics, Incorporated       COMMON           23282W100      901   529900 SH       SOLE                 529900        0        0
Dell Inc.                        COMMON           24702R101    14030  1480000 SH       SOLE                1480000        0        0
Diageo plc ADR                   COMMON           25243Q205    15663   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
Devon Energy Corporation         COMMON           25179M103     4469   100000 SH       SOLE                 100000        0        0
Epoch Holding Corporation        COMMON           29428R103    11450  1666667 SH       SOLE                1666667        0        0
Fidelity National Financial, Inc COMMON           31620R105     7316   375000 SH       SOLE                 375000        0        0
Gilead Sciences, Inc.            COMMON           375558103     5535   119500 SH       SOLE                 119500        0        0
Halliburton Company              COMMON           406216101    12376   800000 SH       SOLE                 800000        0        0
Hewitt Associates, Inc.Class A   COMMON           42822Q100    13871   466100 SH       SOLE                 466100        0        0
Lamar Advertising Company        COMMON           512815101     3647   374100 SH       SOLE                 374100        0        0
Leap Wireless International, Inc COMMON           521863308     4463   128000 SH       SOLE                 128000        0        0
McDermott International, Inc.    COMMON           580037109     3348   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
MetLife, Inc.                    COMMON           59156R108     6376   280000 SH       SOLE                 280000        0        0
Microsoft Corporation            COMMON           594918104    10471   570000 SH       SOLE                 570000        0        0
M&T Bank Corporation             COMMON           55261F104     7465   165000 SH       SOLE                 165000        0        0
Nelnet, Inc.                     COMMON           64031N108     4575   517500 SH       SOLE                 517500        0        0
NetEase.com, Inc.                COMMON           64110W102    11145   415100 SH       SOLE                 415100        0        0
MetroPCS Communications, Inc.    COMMON           591708102    18959  1110000 SH       SOLE                1110000        0        0
PepsiCo, Inc.                    COMMON           713448108    13127   255000 SH       SOLE                 255000        0        0
PartnerRe Ltd.                   COMMON           G6852T105    17069   275000 SH       SOLE                 275000        0        0
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc.       COMMON           703481101     4480   500000 SH       SOLE                 500000        0        0
QUALCOMM Incorporated            COMMON           747525103    27237   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
Everest Re Group, Ltd.           COMMON           G3223R108    17700   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
Republic Services, Inc.          COMMON           760759100    16275   949000 SH       SOLE                 949000        0        0
Royce Value Trust, Inc.          COMMON           780910105     1023   144955 SH       SOLE                 144955        0        0
Teradata Corporation             COMMON           88076W103     9164   565000 SH       SOLE                 565000        0        0
Target Corporation               COMMON           87612E106    11455   333100 SH       SOLE                 333100        0        0
The TJX Companies, Inc.          COMMON           872540109    42947  1675000 SH       SOLE                1675000        0        0
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.     COMMON           893521104     2961    83000 SH       SOLE                  83000        0        0
The Travelers Companies, Inc.    COMMON           89417E109     9550   235000 SH       SOLE                 235000        0        0
Textron Inc.                     COMMON           883203101     2403   418700 SH       SOLE                 418700        0        0
United Technologies Corporation  COMMON           913017109    13969   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
Verifone Holdings, Inc. 1/38%    NOTE             92342YAB5     5475 10000000 PRN      SOLE               10000000        0        0
Weatherford International Ltd.   COMMON           G95089101    22694  2050000 SH       SOLE                2050000        0        0
Waste Management, Inc.           COMMON           94106L109    16128   630000 SH       SOLE                 630000        0        0
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.            COMMON           931142103    24487   470000 SH       SOLE                 470000        0        0
Xerox Corporation                COMMON           984121103     8645  1900000 SH       SOLE                1900000        0        0