We know that Pedro Cortes - the first Latino to serve as head of a state cabinet agency in Pennsylvania - abruptly resigned as Pennsylvania's Secretary of the Commonwealth sometime this week.

We do not know why.

But we sure do have questions about it.

Cortes, the longest-serving leader of the agency that oversees elections and manages the licensing of all manner of professions and trades, was apparently relieved of his duties Tuesday, according to sources.

He was immediately replaced by his executive deputy secretary, Robert Torres.

The Wolf Administration devoted one sentence to Cortes' departure in a tersely-worded "personnel update" Wednesday, and said nothing more about it for the rest of the day.

That silent treatment has in the past been Wolf's modus operandi when the governor himself has made the decision to push someone away for stylistic, ethics or policy reasons.

The "personnel update" used on the State Department release, in fact, was precisely the same terminology used when Wolf dismissed James Joseph as state Adjutant General in March 2016, some two months after he had placed Joseph on leave; and the May 2016 ouster of former Environmental Protection Secretary John Quigley.

Eventually, the world learned those men were forced out for wildly different reasons.

Other departures from the Wolf administration - think former Health Secretary Karen Murphy; former Labor & Industry Kathy Manderino and former chiefs of staff Katie McGinty and Mary Isenhour - have been accompanied by warm words of praise from Wolf for services rendered.

If there was a break between Wolf and Cortes, it probably wasn't enjoyable for either man.

The affable Cortes served as head of the Department of State first for former Gov. Ed Rendell, from April 2003 through June 2010. Part of that time, he served alongside then-Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf.

In 2008-09, he was chosen by his peers to serve as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Wolf turned to him for a second stint at State after Wolf's own election as governor in 2014.

So the record suggests that the men have had a positive history together.

Wolf's press secretary, J.J. Abbott, said Wednesday he had no knowledge of the circumstances behind the resignation in phone calls after an unrelated public appearance by Wolf in Erie.

This week's move came barely two weeks after Cortes' agency had heard from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that Russian hackers unsuccessfully tried to access election systems in the state before last year's presidential election. Cortes said he thought the hackers had hoped to alter voter registration records to sow confusion and frustration in the election.

Cortes' agency also caught flack in September for disclosures that hundreds of legal, non-citizens in Pennsylvania had been improperly offered a chance to register to vote most often while applying for drivers' licenses at PennDOT customer service centers.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt's office told the news site Philly.com that 90 of the non-citizens had voted in at least one election.

The Wolf Administration seemed to rally to Cortes' defense at that time, however, taking credit for taking action to fix a problem that may have dated back to 1995, when the federal "motor-voter" law aimed at encouraging voter registration took effect.

Persons who know Cortes from his years' of service at the Capitol were, to a person, surprised by his sudden departure Wednesday, and said they had heard nothing to this point to suggest his job was in jeopardy.

"I hate to see him leave, I think he's been an outstanding secretary of state," said Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny.

A 51-year-old native Puerto Rican, Cortes earned a bachelor's degree in hotel, restaurant and travel administration from the University of Massachusetts.

Drawn to Pennsylvania to be closer to a sister in Lancaster, he held a series of jobs - movie theatre manager, public welfare caseworker - before entering law school and earning a degree from Penn State in 1999.

Former Gov. Tom Ridge named Cortes as executive director of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs in March 2000. Cortes held that post for three years until joining Rendell's cabinet in 2003.

After leaving the Rendell Administration, Cortes worked as an executive vice president for Everyone Counts Inc., a firm selling electronic voting systems, before Wolf asked him to return to state government.

Cortes lives in Lower Paxton Township with his wife, Lissette, and their daughter.

Mrs. Cortes said the family was declining comment Wednesday evening when a reporter visited the home to offer the former secretary a chance to comment on the week's events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.