PAGE 1 000 B000000 12/31/2003 000 C000000 0000040417 000 D000000 N 000 E000000 NF 000 F000000 Y 000 G000000 N 000 H000000 N 000 I000000 6.1 000 J000000 U 001 A000000 GENERAL AMERICAN INVESTORS COMPANY, INC. 001 B000000 811-41 001 C000000 2129168400 002 A000000 450 LEXINGTON AVENUE - SUITE 3300 002 B000000 NEW YORK 002 C000000 NY 002 D010000 10017 002 D020000 3911 003 000000 N 004 000000 N 005 000000 N 006 000000 N 007 A000000 N 007 B000000 0 015 A000001 STATE STREET CORPORATION 015 B000001 C 015 C010001 NEW YORK 015 C020001 NY 015 C030001 10281 015 C040001 1008 015 E010001 X 020 A000001 MORGAN STANLEY 020 B000001 13-2655998 020 C000001 99 020 A000002 BERNSTEIN (SANFORD C.) & CO.,INC. 020 B000002 13-2625874 020 C000002 54 020 A000003 MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC. 020 B000003 13-5674085 020 C000003 47 020 A000004 KEEFE, BRUYETTE & WOODS INC. 020 B000004 13-1964616 020 C000004 47 020 A000005 GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO. 020 B000005 13-5108880 020 C000005 47 020 A000006 LEHMAN BROTHERS INC. 020 B000006 13-2518466 020 C000006 44 020 A000007 FOX-PITT, KELTON INCORPORATED 020 B000007 06-1058201 020 C000007 43 PAGE 2 020 A000008 UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. 020 B000008 13-2638166 020 C000008 43 020 A000009 J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC. 020 B000009 13-3224016 020 C000009 41 020 A000010 BEAR, STEARNS & CO.,INC. 020 B000010 13-3299429 020 C000010 40 021 000000 713 022 A000001 DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC. 022 B000001 13-2730828 022 C000001 191671 022 D000001 99795 022 A000002 CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON CORPORATION 022 B000002 13-5659485 022 C000002 50 022 D000002 1800 022 A000003 GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO. 022 B000003 13-5108880 022 C000003 308 022 D000003 749 022 A000004 LEHMAN BROTHERS INC. 022 B000004 13-2518466 022 C000004 298 022 D000004 0 022 A000005 SMITH BARNEY CITIGROUP 022 B000005 11-2418191 022 C000005 220 022 D000005 0 022 A000006 KEEFE, BRUYETTE & WOODS INC. 022 B000006 13-1964616 022 C000006 183 022 D000006 0 022 A000007 BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC. 022 B000007 13-3299429 022 C000007 137 022 D000007 0 022 A000008 J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC. 022 B000008 13-3224016 022 C000008 85 022 D000008 0 022 A000009 MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORP 022 B000009 13-5674085 022 C000009 34 022 D000009 0 022 A000010 ING FINANCIAL MARKETS LLC 022 B000010 74-3037041 022 C000010 30 022 D000010 0 023 C000000 193076 PAGE 3 023 D000000 102345 062 A000000 N 062 B000000 0.0 062 C000000 0.0 062 D000000 0.0 062 E000000 0.0 062 F000000 0.0 062 G000000 0.0 062 H000000 0.0 062 I000000 0.0 062 J000000 0.0 062 K000000 0.0 062 L000000 0.0 062 M000000 0.0 062 N000000 0.0 062 O000000 0.0 062 P000000 0.0 062 Q000000 0.0 062 R000000 0.0 066 A000000 Y 066 B000000 N 066 C000000 N 066 D000000 Y 066 E000000 N 066 F000000 N 066 G000000 N 067 000000 N 068 A000000 N 068 B000000 N 069 000000 N 070 A010000 Y 070 A020000 N 070 B010000 Y 070 B020000 N 070 C010000 Y 070 C020000 N 070 D010000 Y 070 D020000 N 070 E010000 Y 070 E020000 N 070 F010000 Y 070 F020000 N 070 G010000 Y 070 G020000 N 070 H010000 Y 070 H020000 N 070 I010000 Y 070 I020000 N 070 J010000 Y 070 J020000 Y 070 K010000 Y PAGE 4 070 K020000 Y 070 L010000 Y 070 L020000 Y 070 M010000 Y 070 M020000 N 070 N010000 Y 070 N020000 N 070 O010000 Y 070 O020000 N 070 P010000 Y 070 P020000 N 070 Q010000 Y 070 Q020000 N 070 R010000 Y 070 R020000 Y 071 A000000 205727 071 B000000 140604 071 C000000 755248 071 D000000 19 072 A000000 12 072 B000000 4168 072 C000000 7811 072 D000000 0 072 E000000 283 072 F000000 0 072 G000000 0 072 H000000 7471 072 I000000 97 072 J000000 32 072 K000000 7 072 L000000 40 072 M000000 160 072 N000000 48 072 O000000 86 072 P000000 0 072 Q000000 0 072 R000000 108 072 S000000 80 072 T000000 0 072 U000000 0 072 V000000 79 072 W000000 2915 072 X000000 11123 072 Y000000 0 072 Z000000 1139 072AA000000 28145 072BB000000 0 072CC010000 200469 072CC020000 0 072DD010000 531 072DD020000 0 PAGE 5 072EE000000 15573 073 A010000 0.0176 073 A020000 0.0000 073 B000000 0.5224 073 C000000 0.0000 074 A000000 55 074 B000000 0 074 C000000 249478 074 D000000 10250 074 E000000 0 074 F000000 927510 074 G000000 0 074 H000000 0 074 I000000 0 074 J000000 2731 074 K000000 0 074 L000000 15778 074 M000000 7301 074 N000000 1213103 074 O000000 1480 074 P000000 0 074 Q000000 0 074 R010000 0 074 R020000 15307 074 R030000 0 074 R040000 9981 074 S000000 200000 074 T000000 986335 074 U010000 29789 074 U020000 0 074 V010000 33.11 074 V020000 0.00 074 W000000 0.0000 074 X000000 4488 074 Y000000 0 075 A000000 0 075 B000000 880058 076 000000 29.73 077 A000000 Y 077 B000000 Y 077 Q010000 Y 077 Q020000 N 077 Q030000 N 078 000000 N 080 A000000 VIGILANT INSURANCE COMPANY 080 C000000 2250 081 A000000 Y 081 B000000 2 082 A000000 N 082 B000000 0 083 A000000 N PAGE 6 083 B000000 0 084 A000000 N 084 B000000 0 085 A000000 Y 085 B000000 N 086 A010000 0 086 A020000 0 086 B010000 1107 086 B020000 28455 086 C010000 8000 086 C020000 193300 086 D010000 6000 086 D020000 150000 086 E010000 0 086 E020000 0 086 F010000 0 086 F020000 0 087 A010000 COMMON STOCK, $1 PAR VALUE 087 A020000 368802104 087 A030000 GAM 087 B010000 5.95% CUM PRFD STOCK, SERIES B, $1 PAR VALUE 087 B020000 368802401 087 B030000 GAMPR B 088 A000000 N 088 B000000 N 088 C000000 N 088 D000000 Y SIGNATURE EUGENE L. DESTAEBLER, JR. TITLE V.P., ADMINISTRATION