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

                                   FORM 13F

                             FORM 13F COVER PAGE

Report for the Calendar Year or Quarter Ended: June 30, 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   August 3, 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:  58

Form 13F Information Table Value Total:  $753163907



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    18936  1200000 SH       SOLE                1200000        0        0
Arch Capital Group Ltd.          COMMON           G0450A105    18453   315000 SH       SOLE                 315000        0        0
Adams Express Company            COMMON           006212104     1050   125004 SH       SOLE                 125004        0        0
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.        COMMON           014482103     5534   236100 SH       SOLE                 236100        0        0
The Allstate Corporation         COMMON           020002101     4270   175000 SH       SOLE                 175000        0        0
Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.    COMMON           02076X102     5254   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0
Apache Corporation               COMMON           037411105    33175   459800 SH       SOLE                 459800        0        0
ASML Holding N.V.                COMMON           N07059186    15155   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
American Express Company         COMMON           025816109     8715   375000 SH       SOLE                 375000        0        0
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited    COMMON           G0692U109     9163   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
The Boeing Company               COMMON           097023105    12750   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A  COMMON           084670108    12600      140 SH       SOLE                    140        0        0
Central Securities Corporation   COMMON           155123102      526    34400 SH       SOLE                  34400        0        0
Cougar Biotechnology, Inc.       COMMON           222083107     3029    70500 SH       SOLE                  70500        0        0
Costco Wholesale Corporation     COMMON           22160K105    26324   575000 SH       SOLE                 575000        0        0
Cisco Systems, Inc.              COMMON           17275R102    17904   960000 SH       SOLE                 960000        0        0
CEMEX, S.A. de C.V. ADR          COMMON           151290889    17484  1872000 SH       SOLE                1872000        0        0
Cytokinetics, Incorporated       COMMON           23282W100     1500   529900 SH       SOLE                 529900        0        0
Dell Inc.                        COMMON           24702R101    20320  1480000 SH       SOLE                1480000        0        0
Diageo plc ADR                   COMMON           25243Q205    20038   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
Devon Energy Corporation         COMMON           25179M103     5450   100000 SH       SOLE                 100000        0        0
Epoch Holding Corporation        COMMON           29428R103    14400  1666667 SH       SOLE                1666667        0        0
Foundation Coal Holdings, Inc.   COMMON           35039W100     1406    50000 SH       SOLE                  50000        0        0
Fidelity National Financial, Inc COMMON           31620R105     6765   500000 SH       SOLE                 500000        0        0
Gilead Sciences, Inc.            COMMON           375558103     5597   119500 SH       SOLE                 119500        0        0
Halliburton Company              COMMON           406216101    16560   800000 SH       SOLE                 800000        0        0
Hewitt Associates, Inc.Class A   COMMON           42822Q100    13880   466100 SH       SOLE                 466100        0        0
International Game Technology    COMMON           459902102    11925   750000 SH       SOLE                 750000        0        0
Lamar Advertising Company        COMMON           512815101     3422   224100 SH       SOLE                 224100        0        0
Leap Wireless International, Inc COMMON           521863308     4215   128000 SH       SOLE                 128000        0        0
McDermott International, Inc.    COMMON           580037109     5078   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
MetLife, Inc.                    COMMON           59156R108     8403   280000 SH       SOLE                 280000        0        0
Monsanto Company                 COMMON           61166W101     6691    90000 SH       SOLE                  90000        0        0
Microsoft Corporation            COMMON           594918104    13549   570000 SH       SOLE                 570000        0        0
M&T Bank Corporation             COMMON           55261F104     7894   155000 SH       SOLE                 155000        0        0
Nelnet, Inc.                     COMMON           64031N108     8630   635000 SH       SOLE                 635000        0        0
NetEase.com, Inc.                COMMON           64110W102    10382   295100 SH       SOLE                 295100        0        0
Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc.    COMMON           732449301     1166   195344 SH       SOLE                 195344        0        0
MetroPCS Communications, Inc.    COMMON           591708102    14774  1110000 SH       SOLE                1110000        0        0
PepsiCo, Inc.                    COMMON           713448108    15664   285000 SH       SOLE                 285000        0        0
PartnerRe Ltd.                   COMMON           G6852T105    17861   275000 SH       SOLE                 275000        0        0
QUALCOMM Incorporated            COMMON           747525103    31640   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
Everest Re Group, Ltd.           COMMON           G3223R108    17893   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
Republic Services, Inc.          COMMON           760759100    23165   949000 SH       SOLE                 949000        0        0
Royce Value Trust, Inc.          COMMON           780910105     1219   144955 SH       SOLE                 144955        0        0
Teradata Corporation             COMMON           88076W103    13238   565000 SH       SOLE                 565000        0        0
Target Corporation               COMMON           87612E106     9868   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
The TJX Companies, Inc.          COMMON           872540109    52696  1675000 SH       SOLE                1675000        0        0
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.     COMMON           893521104     3596    83000 SH       SOLE                  83000        0        0
The Travelers Companies, Inc.    COMMON           89417E109     9644   235000 SH       SOLE                 235000        0        0
Textron Inc.                     COMMON           883203101     4045   418700 SH       SOLE                 418700        0        0
United Technologies Corporation  COMMON           913017109    16887   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
Verifone Holdings, Inc. 1 3/8%   NOTE             92342YAB5     7283 10000000 SH       SOLE               10000000        0        0
Weatherford International Ltd.   COMMON           G95089101    40098  2050000 SH       SOLE                2050000        0        0
Waste Management, Inc.           COMMON           94106L109    17741   630000 SH       SOLE                 630000        0        0
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.            COMMON           931142103    26642   550000 SH       SOLE                 550000        0        0
Wyeth                            COMMON           983024100    19309   425400 SH       SOLE                 425400        0        0
Xerox Corporation                COMMON           984121103    12312  1900000 SH       SOLE                1900000        0        0