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, 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   February 05, 2010


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:  $916,094,471



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    22920  1200000 SH       SOLE                1200000        0        0
Arch Capital Group Ltd.          COMMON           G0450A105    22538   315000 SH       SOLE                 315000        0        0
Adams Express Company            COMMON           006212104     1301   128815 SH       SOLE                 128815        0        0
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.        COMMON           014482103     8082   236100 SH       SOLE                 236100        0        0
The Allstate Corporation         COMMON           020002101     5257   175000 SH       SOLE                 175000        0        0
Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.    COMMON           02076X102    11027   254200 SH       SOLE                 254200        0        0
Apache Corporation               COMMON           037411105    30484   295478 SH       SOLE                 295478        0        0
ASML Holding N.V.                COMMON           N07059186    23863   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
American Express Company         COMMON           025816109    13169   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
AXIS Capital Holdings Limited    COMMON           G0692U109     7813   275000 SH       SOLE                 275000        0        0
The Boeing Company               COMMON           097023105    16239   300000 SH       SOLE                 300000        0        0
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A  COMMON           084670108    12896      130 SH       SOLE                    130        0        0
Cephalon, Inc.                   COMMON           156708109    21042   337100 SH       SOLE                 337100        0        0
Central Securities Corporation   COMMON           155123102      638    35500 SH       SOLE                  35500        0        0
Costco Wholesale Corporation     COMMON           22160K105    34023   575000 SH       SOLE                 575000        0        0
Cisco Systems, Inc.              COMMON           17275R102    22982   960000 SH       SOLE                 960000        0        0
CEMEX, S.A. de C.V. ADR          COMMON           151290889    22127  1872000 SH       SOLE                1872000        0        0
Cytokinetics, Incorporated       COMMON           23282W100     1542   529900 SH       SOLE                 529900        0        0
Dell Inc.                        COMMON           24702R101    18524  1290000 SH       SOLE                1290000        0        0
Diageo plc ADR                   COMMON           25243Q205    24294   350000 SH       SOLE                 350000        0        0
Devon Energy Corporation         COMMON           25179M103     7350   100000 SH       SOLE                 100000        0        0
Epoch Holding Corporation        COMMON           29428R103    17417  1666667 SH       SOLE                1666667        0        0
Fidelity National Financial, Inc COMMON           31620R105     9759   725000 SH       SOLE                 725000        0        0
Gilead Sciences, Inc.            COMMON           375558103     5171   119500 SH       SOLE                 119500        0        0
Halliburton Company              COMMON           406216101    24072   800000 SH       SOLE                 800000        0        0
Hewitt Associates, Inc.Class A   COMMON           42822Q100    19697   466100 SH       SOLE                 466100        0        0
International Game Technology    COMMON           459902102    14078   750000 SH       SOLE                 750000        0        0
J.C. Penney Company, Inc.        COMMON           708160106    10644   400000 SH       SOLE                 400000        0        0
Leap Wireless International, Inc COMMON           521863308     1369    78000 SH       SOLE                  78000        0        0
McDermott International, Inc.    COMMON           580037109     6003   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
MetLife, Inc.                    COMMON           59156R108     9898   280000 SH       SOLE                 280000        0        0
Microsoft Corporation            COMMON           594918104    17374   570000 SH       SOLE                 570000        0        0
M&T Bank Corporation             COMMON           55261F104    10034   150000 SH       SOLE                 150000        0        0
The Manitowoc Company, Inc.      COMMON           563571108     2325   233198 SH       SOLE                 233198        0        0
MSCI Inc.                        COMMON           55354G100    12879   405000 SH       SOLE                 405000        0        0
Nelnet, Inc.                     COMMON           64031N108    11200   650000 SH       SOLE                 650000        0        0
NetEase.com, Inc.                COMMON           64110W102     5195   138100 SH       SOLE                 138100        0        0
Nucor Corporation                COMMON           670346105     6998   150000 SH       SOLE                 150000        0        0
Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc.    COMMON           732449301      357   195344 SH       SOLE                 195344        0        0
MetroPCS Communications, Inc.    COMMON           591708102     1034   135500 SH       SOLE                 135500        0        0
PepsiCo, Inc.                    COMMON           713448108    17328   285000 SH       SOLE                 285000        0        0
Pfizer Inc.                      COMMON           717081103    11929   655808 SH       SOLE                 655808        0        0
PartnerRe Ltd.                   COMMON           G6852T105    20532   275000 SH       SOLE                 275000        0        0
QUALCOMM Incorporated            COMMON           747525103    32382   700000 SH       SOLE                 700000        0        0
Everest Re Group, Ltd.           COMMON           G3223R108    21420   250000 SH       SOLE                 250000        0        0
Republic Services, Inc.          COMMON           760759100    26866   949000 SH       SOLE                 949000        0        0
Royce Value Trust, Inc.          COMMON           780910105     1564   144955 SH       SOLE                 144955        0        0
ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year    COMMON           74347R297    23693   475000 SH       SOLE                 475000        0        0
Teradata Corporation             COMMON           88076W103    17758   565000 SH       SOLE                 565000        0        0
The TJX Companies, Inc.          COMMON           872540109    64876  1775000 SH       SOLE                1775000        0        0
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.     COMMON           893521104     4325    83000 SH       SOLE                  83000        0        0
The Travelers Companies, Inc.    COMMON           89417E109     9972   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0
Textron Inc.                     COMMON           883203101     4044   215000 SH       SOLE                 215000        0        0
United Technologies Corporation  COMMON           913017109    22558   325000 SH       SOLE                 325000        0        0
VeriFone Holdings, Inc. 1 3/8%   NOTE             92342YAB5     8650 10000000 PRN      SOLE               10000000        0        0
Weatherford International Ltd.   COMMON           G95089101    38507  2150000 SH       SOLE                2150000        0        0
Waste Management, Inc.           COMMON           94106L109    21300   630000 SH       SOLE                 630000        0        0
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.            COMMON           931142103    29398   550000 SH       SOLE                 550000        0        0
Xerox Corporation                COMMON           984121103    16074  1900000 SH       SOLE                1900000        0        0
XTO Energy Inc.                  COMMON           98385X106     9306   200000 SH       SOLE                 200000        0        0