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

                                   FORM 13F

                             FORM 13F COVER PAGE

Report for the Calendar Year or Quarter Ended: September 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   October 20, 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:  60

Form 13F Information Table Value Total:  $896711894



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    24048  1200000 SH       SOLE                1200000        0        0
Arch Capital Group Ltd.          COMMON           G0450A105    21275   315000 SH       SOLE                 315000        0        0
Adams Express Company            COMMON           006212104     1221   125004 SH       SOLE                 125004        0        0
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.        COMMON           014482103     7576   236100 SH       SOLE                 236100        0        0
The Allstate Corporation         COMMON           020002101     5359   175000 SH       SOLE                 175000        0        0
Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.    COMMON           02076X102     8922   254200 SH       SOLE                 254200        0        0
Apache Corporation               COMMON           037411105    27134   295478 SH       SOLE                 295478        0        0
ASML Holding N.V.                COMMON           N07059186    20699   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
American Express Company         COMMON           025816109    11865   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited    COMMON           G0692U109     9054   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
The Boeing Company               COMMON           097023105    16245   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A  COMMON           084670108    14140      140 SH       SOLE                    140        0        0
Cephalon, Inc.                   COMMON           156708109    18928   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
Central Securities Corporation   COMMON           155123102      599    34400 SH       SOLE                  34400        0        0
Costco Wholesale Corporation     COMMON           22160K105    32419   575000 SH       SOLE                 575000        0        0
Cisco Systems, Inc.              COMMON           17275R102    22598   960000 SH       SOLE                 960000        0        0
CEMEX, S.A. de C.V. ADR          COMMON           151290889    24186  1872000 SH       SOLE                1872000        0        0
Cytokinetics, Incorporated       COMMON           23282W100     2803   529900 SH       SOLE                 529900        0        0
Dell Inc.                        COMMON           24702R101    19685  1290000 SH       SOLE                1290000        0        0
Diageo plc ADR                   COMMON           25243Q205    21522   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
Devon Energy Corporation         COMMON           25179M103     6733   100000 SH       SOLE                 100000        0        0
Epoch Holding Corporation        COMMON           29428R103    14583  1666667 SH       SOLE                1666667        0        0
Fidelity National Financial, Inc COMMON           31620R105     7917   525000 SH       SOLE                 525000        0        0
Gilead Sciences, Inc.            COMMON           375558103     5557   119500 SH       SOLE                 119500        0        0
Halliburton Company              COMMON           406216101    21696   800000 SH       SOLE                 800000        0        0
Hewitt Associates, Inc.Class A   COMMON           42822Q100    16980   466100 SH       SOLE                 466100        0        0
International Game Technology    COMMON           459902102    16110   750000 SH       SOLE                 750000        0        0
Leap Wireless International, Inc COMMON           521863308     1525    78000 SH       SOLE                  78000        0        0
McDermott International, Inc.    COMMON           580037109     6318   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
MetLife, Inc.                    COMMON           59156R108    10660   280000 SH       SOLE                 280000        0        0
Monsanto Company                 COMMON           61166W101    10217   132000 SH       SOLE                 132000        0        0
Microsoft Corporation            COMMON           594918104    14660   570000 SH       SOLE                 570000        0        0
M&T Bank Corporation             COMMON           55261F104     9660   155000 SH       SOLE                 155000        0        0
The Manitowoc Company, Inc.      COMMON           563571108     2208   233198 SH       SOLE                 233198        0        0
Nelnet, Inc.                     COMMON           64031N108     8024   645000 SH       SOLE                 645000        0        0
NetEase.com, Inc.                COMMON           64110W102    10100   221100 SH       SOLE                 221100        0        0
Nucor Corporation                COMMON           670346105     7052   150000 SH       SOLE                 150000        0        0
Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc.    COMMON           732449301     1461   195344 SH       SOLE                 195344        0        0
MetroPCS Communications, Inc.    COMMON           591708102     4076   435500 SH       SOLE                 435500        0        0
PepsiCo, Inc.                    COMMON           713448108    16718   285000 SH       SOLE                 285000        0        0
PartnerRe Ltd.                   COMMON           G6852T105    21159   275000 SH       SOLE                 275000        0        0
QUALCOMM Incorporated            COMMON           747525103    31486   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
Everest Re Group, Ltd.           COMMON           G3223R108    21925   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
Republic Services, Inc.          COMMON           760759100    25215   949000 SH       SOLE                 949000        0        0
Royce Value Trust, Inc.          COMMON           780910105     1498   144955 SH       SOLE                 144955        0        0
ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year    COMMON           74347R297    17604   400000 SH       SOLE                 400000        0        0
Teradata Corporation             COMMON           88076W103    15549   565000 SH       SOLE                 565000        0        0
Target Corporation               COMMON           87612E106    11670   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
The TJX Companies, Inc.          COMMON           872540109    62226  1675000 SH       SOLE                1675000        0        0
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.     COMMON           893521104     4164    83000 SH       SOLE                  83000        0        0
The Travelers Companies, Inc.    COMMON           89417E109    10584   215000 SH       SOLE                 215000        0        0
Textron Inc.                     COMMON           883203101     4081   215000 SH       SOLE                 215000        0        0
United Technologies Corporation  COMMON           913017109    19802   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
Verifone Holdings, Inc. 1.375%   NOTE             92342YAB5     8551 10000000 PRN      SOLE               10000000        0        0
Weatherford International Ltd.   COMMON           G95089101    42497  2050000 SH       SOLE                2050000        0        0
Waste Management, Inc.           COMMON           94106L109    18787   630000 SH       SOLE                 630000        0        0
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.            COMMON           931142103    27000   550000 SH       SOLE                 550000        0        0
Wyeth                            COMMON           983024100    27412   564273 SH       SOLE                 564273        0        0
Xerox Corporation                COMMON           984121103    14706  1900000 SH       SOLE                1900000        0        0
XTO Energy Inc.                  COMMON           98385X106     8264   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0