UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 13F FORM 13F COVER PAGE Report for the Calendar Year or Quarter Ended: December 31, 2011 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 February 06, 2012 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: $964056488 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 ---------------- -------------- ----- ------ ------------------------ -------- ---- ------ ---- ------- Apple Inc. COMMON 037833100 24300 60000 SH SOLE 60000 0 0 ABB Ltd. ADR COMMON 000375204 22596 1200000 SH SOLE 1200000 0 0 Arch Capital Group Ltd. COMMON G0450A105 32576 875000 SH SOLE 875000 0 0 Adams Express Company COMMON 006212104 1350 140091 SH SOLE 140091 0 0 Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. COMMON 02076X102 9555 467700 SH SOLE 467700 0 0 Aon Corporation COMMON 037389103 15467 330492 SH SOLE 330492 0 0 Apache Corporation COMMON 037411105 26855 296478 SH SOLE 296478 0 0 ASML Holding N.V. COMMON N07059186 24029 575000 SH SOLE 575000 0 0 American Express Company COMMON 025816109 14859 315000 SH SOLE 315000 0 0 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A COMMON 084670108 12623 110 SH SOLE 110 0 0 Celgene Corporation COMMON 151020104 11492 170000 SH SOLE 170000 0 0 Central Securities Corporation COMMON 155123102 780 38102 SH SOLE 38102 0 0 Canadian Natural Resources COMMON 136385101 11211 300000 SH SOLE 300000 0 0 Costco Wholesale Corporation COMMON 22160K105 32870 394500 SH SOLE 394500 0 0 Cisco Systems, Inc. COMMON 17275R102 17357 960000 SH SOLE 960000 0 0 Cytokinetics, Incorporated COMMON 23282W100 509 529900 SH SOLE 529900 0 0 Dell Inc. COMMON 24702R101 12070 825000 SH SOLE 825000 0 0 Diageo plc ADR COMMON 25243Q205 30597 350000 SH SOLE 350000 0 0 Devon Energy Corporation COMMON 25179M103 8064 130062 SH SOLE 130062 0 0 Epoch Holding Corporation COMMON 29428R103 37050 1666667 SH SOLE 1666667 0 0 Ford Motor Company COMMON 345370860 13601 1264063 SH SOLE 1264063 0 0 Freeport-McMoRan COMMON 35671D857 7358 200000 SH SOLE 200000 0 0 Gilead Sciences, Inc. COMMON 375558103 23105 564500 SH SOLE 564500 0 0 Halliburton Company COMMON 406216101 25883 750000 SH SOLE 750000 0 0 International Game Technology COMMON 459902102 12900 750000 SH SOLE 750000 0 0 JPMorgan Chase & Co. COMMON 46625H100 17290 520000 SH SOLE 520000 0 0 JPMorgan Chase & Co. COMMON 46634E114 1913 225000 SH SOLE 225000 0 0 Kohl's Corporation COMMON 500255104 4935 100000 SH SOLE 100000 0 0 MetLife, Inc. COMMON 59156R108 10134 325000 SH SOLE 325000 0 0 Microsoft Corporation COMMON 594918104 19989 770000 SH SOLE 770000 0 0 M&T Bank Corporation COMMON 55261F104 8397 110000 SH SOLE 110000 0 0 The Manitowoc Company, Inc. COMMON 563571108 8271 900000 SH SOLE 900000 0 0 Nelnet, Inc. COMMON 64031N108 15783 645000 SH SOLE 645000 0 0 Nucor Corporation COMMON 670346105 5936 150000 SH SOLE 150000 0 0 PepsiCo, Inc. COMMON 713448108 21564 325000 SH SOLE 325000 0 0 Pfizer Inc. COMMON 717081103 16356 755808 SH SOLE 755808 0 0 PartnerRe Ltd. COMMON G6852T105 18300 285000 SH SOLE 285000 0 0 Platinum Underwriters COMMON G7127P100 14838 435000 SH SOLE 435000 0 0 QUALCOMM Incorporated COMMON 747525103 38290 700000 SH SOLE 700000 0 0 Everest Re Group, Ltd. COMMON G3223R108 20602 245000 SH SOLE 245000 0 0 Republic Services, Inc. COMMON 760759100 26368 957100 SH SOLE 957100 0 0 Royce Value Trust, Inc. COMMON 780910105 1891 154144 SH SOLE 154144 0 0 Teradata Corporation COMMON 88076W103 11157 230000 SH SOLE 230000 0 0 Target Corporation COMMON 87612E106 23561 460000 SH SOLE 460000 0 0 The TJX Companies, Inc. COMMON 872540109 97625 1512400 SH SOLE 1512400 0 0 The Travelers Companies, Inc. COMMON 89417E109 8876 150000 SH SOLE 150000 0 0 Towers Watson & Co. Class A COMMON 891894107 12346 206000 SH SOLE 206000 0 0 United Technologies Corporation COMMON 913017109 23754 325000 SH SOLE 325000 0 0 Visteon Corporation COMMON 92839U206 13769 275713 SH SOLE 275713 0 0 Vodafone Group Plc ADR COMMON 92857W209 10598 378100 SH SOLE 378100 0 0 Weatherford International Ltd. COMMON G95089101 30012 2050000 SH SOLE 2050000 0 0 Waste Management, Inc. COMMON 94106L109 20607 630000 SH SOLE 630000 0 0 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. COMMON 931142103 18705 313000 SH SOLE 313000 0 0 Xerox Corporation COMMON 984121103 13134 1650000 SH SOLE 1650000 0 0